President Goodluck Jonathan Blames Media for “Blowing Security Situation out of Proportion”
President Goodluck Jonathan has berated the Nigerian media for exaggerating the state of violence and insurgency in the country.
Jonathan stated this via his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati at the opening of the meeting of Nigeria’s Honorary International Investment Council, noting that the media was deliberately painting a bloated picture of the security situation in the North-east to the international community.
He reiterated that the Federal Government was putting a lot of efforts into the fight against Boko Haram sect and that Armed Forces and security agencies were making progress in recovering areas captured by the sect.
He said: “We are improving on security. For about a week now, there have been no reports of Boko Haram seizing more territory. Rather, we are steadily pushing them back. The impression being created by sections of the media that the situation is worsening is not true. I can assure you that it will never get worse.”
The president also shared the motive for his re-election bid in the 2015 general elections.
“As you already know, I have indicated my willingness to carry on for another four years, if I am given the opportunity. This will enable us to carry forward some of the reforms we have been talking about.
“We cannot move the economy forward without good infrastructure. We have been working very hard in that area. We have improved our road network significantly. In the next three to four years, we should be able to resurface almost all federal roads in the country and begin new ones.
“We are improving our airport terminals and aviation security. Reforms are also ongoing at our ports to drastically reduce the time required for import clearance formalities.
“In the rail sector, we may require private sector funds to quicken the pace of development. Our goal is to link all state capitals by rail.
“It may not be an objective that can be achieved by a single administration, but we want to lay a solid foundation that others can build on.
“We are also promoting the increased of local content in our oil industry because that is the only way in which our people will benefit more from the industry.
“With that they will begin to see themselves as true stakeholders who need to protect and help in the development of our oil and gas resources”.
