AfricCon Blogspot Covered - Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolutions of Security Challenges in the North, Alhaji Taminu Turaki,
yesterday, confronted journalists over quest to know the true position of the committee on claims that it was in contact with the leadership of Boko Haram.
yesterday, confronted journalists over quest to know the true position of the committee on claims that it was in contact with the leadership of Boko Haram.
The minister, who was visibly angry when asked if the committee was in correspondence with Abubalkar Shekau, the top leader of the Islamic sect, angrily said: “I have the right to refuse to talk.”
Drama started after the committee’s meeting with members of the diplomatic corps at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Irked by the persistence of journalists on the committee’s position on communication with Boko Haram leaders, he said: “I have responded to it severally. We can’t go on and be speaking on the same issue everyday now. Much as I want to be speaking with the press, you must be mature in the way you do things.
“I speak on something today, I speak on it tomorrow and day after and you want me to speak on it again….there must be decorum. You as stakeholders, what are you doing as stakeholders to solve the problems?
“Your write-ups are not the ones that encourage dialogue. You are the people at the forefront; you suffered a lot of casualties. Can you tell me any concerted efforts that you as a critical sector has made to assist dialogue?
The question and answer session went thus:
Journalists: “We have lost our men.”
Turaki: “It is not about losing your men. What proactive steps have you taken to assist dialogue, tell me?”
Journalists: “It was in the course of doing our work that we lost our men.”
Turaki: “No. No. You are there to report for your organisations and make money! I am asking you what have you journalists done to assist peace process as Nigerians as stakeholders? Tell me.”
Journalists: “Have you had contact with Shekau and other Boko Haram leaders?”
Turaki: “Answer me first before I answer your own.”
Journalists: “What assurance do you want to give Nigerians?”
Turaki: “You see when you ask questions like this, let us not begin to have a different view of journalists. It is not good. When I tell you I don’t want to talk again and you are trying to harass me. I want to see journalists as my friends you know I have the right to refuse to talk”.
On findings of the committee so far, he, however, said the committee was yet to start writing its report, “so when we begin to write our reports, we will definitely make findings and it is on the basis of these findings that we will draw our conclusions and our recommendations will follow.
“So, Nigerians will definitely see what our recommendations will be when we submit the document.”
On the issue of increasing terrorist attacks by the Islamist sect, despite assurances by the committee, he said: “This is a mute issue now. We have addressed it severally. I don’t want to comment on this issue again.”
On the call by Nigerians for the dissolution of the committee, Turaki responded that “Is there any country in the world where the issue of terrorism has been solved within the establishment of committee?
“There is none, take even the case of Northern Ireland where the agreement of ceasefire has been written more than two decades ago, is the issue of terrorism not still there?”
“The issue of terrorism is not something you solve within a day particularly the kind of terrorism we have in Nigeria where you have a lot of elements that are masquerading into it. So it is something that has a lot of dimensions.
“We are trying the best we can and this is something we have to approach holistically not only on the side of what the committee is doing but even what government, security agencies, and religious leaders are doing and well meaning Nigerians are doing.
“It is something that has to be approached from all perspectives. Mr. President when he set up this committee did not say go and stop the problem now, and stop the issue of terrorism.
“So don’t forget that there are other people who have been involved in it before us and they are still doing it. But You get some people who are willing, you go along with them. You get some people who does not want too give peace a chance, then you leave them with the government.
“Because the Nigerian government has the will and capacity to make sure that lives and property of all law abiding Nigerians are protected in all circumstances.”
