Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe has re-assured that the Federal Government is doing everything possible to ensure that the Boko Haram insurgency is brought to end “in due course”.
Dr. Okupe said this while speaking on an Al Jazeera program, ‘The Stream’ during which he pointed out that, the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is equally committed to using minimal force to bring the Boko Haram operatives to their knees. He said it is because of the civilian enclave in which the group operates.
He decried the ideological commitment of the group to fight for the Islamisation of the country.
On the allegations by Omoyele Sowore of Sahara Reporters that, corruption, unemployment and misgovernance are the main causes of the security challenge faced by the country, the presidential aide said such statements does not make any meaning.
“Sometimes, one cannot only but be ashamed at some studio elite like Sowore and co who castigates the country and its leadership because they are paid to do so on their online platform. They are stuck away in the United States; in a comfort zone and just condemn the various administrations in the country.
“Now, I remember very well, there was a time everything went down to the most basic thing. Poverty became ravaging and life became difficult to live to the extent that the people became displaced and they were moving away from their home in Ghana. They flooded the entire West African coast especially Nigeria.
What I’m trying to say is that inspite of the ravaging poverty; Ghanians did not take up arms against their people and country”.
While condemning the excuses given by the militant groups as amplified by Sowore, Dr. Okupe said, such reasons does not warrant anyone or group of persons to unleash the amount of devastation the group has unleashed on the country.
According to him, the violence has its roots from the waves of international conspiracy to Islamise the world.
Another guest on the programme and a renowned playwright, Prof. Wole Soyinka said the problem with the group is rather ideological and must not be unnecessarily equated with misgovernance, unemployment maintaining that long term measures should be taken.
According to Soyinka, brainwashing, malformation and indoctrination of minds of the Boko Haram insurgents must first and foremost dealt with just as he enjoined the entire population to look at the Boko Haram activities as a national issue that has international connotation.