Chibok Schoolgirls: Jonathan meets U.S. Ambassador on rescue operations
Olorunfemi Adetokunbo Fakeye
President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday in Abuja met with the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, to discuss modalities for the actualization of the offer made by President Barrack Obama to assist Nigeria in rescuing the girls abducted from Chibok, Borno State.
Their meeting was a follow-up to talks held on Wednesday between Mr. Entwistle and Nigerian security officials on the United States offer of assistance.
In a press statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, it was revealed that at the talks with the ambassador, President Jonathan reiterated Nigeria’s appreciation of the United States offer to deploy American security personnel and asset to work with their Nigerian counterparts in the search and rescue operation.
“The President told Mr. Entwistle and other delegations which met separately with him at the venue of the World Economic Forum that the much greater support which Nigeria was receiving from the United States and other members of the international community in the aftermath of the Chibok abductions, will certainly help the country to rapidly overcome the Boko Haram insurgency,” the statement said.
President Jonathan also on Thursday received the President of Ghana, John Mahama, and the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Kadré Ouédraogo, who brought him a message of solidarity from ECOWAS Heads of State and Government.
Mr. Mahama informed Mr. Jonathan that to support Nigeria’s efforts to rescue the abducted girls and defeat terrorism, ECOWAS leaders have decided to invoke the community’s protocols on counter-terrorism.
The Ghanaian leader said, a meeting of Heads of Intelligence Services of ECOWAS member-countries will hold in Accra next week to work out a new framework for intelligence sharing in support of the effort to eradicate the threat of terrorism in Nigeria and the entire West African Sub-Region.
President, it was learnt also had private meeting with Klaus Schwab, the Founder of the World Economic Forum, who said that Nigeria deserved the maximum solidarity of the world at this trying moment.
The U.S. offer was conveyed to Mr. Jonathan on Tuesday during a telephone conversation with the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry.
