No Discussions With Boko Haram says Jonathan
Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan Sunday night denied his government was having negotiations with the dreaded radical Boko Haram sect. The media had reported that the Federal Government of Nigeria was having discussions with the sect on possible end to the attack on the hapless Nigerians by the sect. Boko haram, a faceless terror group have killed several Nigerians and foreigners mostly in the northern part of the Country. Jonathan, who was responding to questions from a panel of select media executives in the Presidential Villa said his government would not negotiate with faceless people. “Presently, government is not holding talks with Boko Haram. They are still under cover, they wear masks, there is no face to discuss with. There is no dialogue going on anywhere,” he said.
On the crisis rocking the oil sector, the president said full deregulation which would probably increase the prices of petroleum products will not happen in the coming year. He added that the 2013 budget has provisions for oil subsidy. He assured the masses of his administration’s commitment to make life bearable.
Jonathan who expressed optimism on the the ongoing constitutional amendment process, said;
“Constitutional amendment is a good development because since 1999 when we started implementing the present constitution, the feeling of Nigerians is that this constitution was written by the military; it is not a people’s constitution and they have been clamouring for Nigerians to write a constitution for themselves.
“But there are two issues because when constitution was promulgated into law, it had a provision on how it is to be amended and anything outside that becomes an issue.
“So whether you do it in the form of a referendum or not, and of course we must remember that it is the prerogative of the National Assembly to amend the constitution, I will not want to impose my own ideas on Nigerians.
Speaking further, Jonathan said , “I believe that they (National Assembly) will follow the law and also listen to Nigerians. I will not really want to dictate to them their responsibilities. The National Assembly is a different arm of government and it is capable of handling its responsibility,”.
The Lagos-Ibadan road that has become a menace to the motorists will be taken over because Bi-Courtney, the concessionaires have failed to meet up to the expectations of the people, Jonathan said.
“It looks like the company is not in a position to do it. That is the busiest road in the country and it is beyond the South-west region.
“The country is being held to ransom because of a transaction that was not properly consummated. We will intervene because the problem is beyond the South-west,” he said.
