President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday inaugurated the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North, expressing enthusiasm in the possibility of securing talks with the sect that would restore peace to the crisis-ridden northern region.
The president, who also inaugurated the Committee on the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons at the Council Chamber of the presidential Villa, prayed for God’s guidance for the members to succeed in their responsibility.
“Nigerians are expecting this committee to perform magic,” he said, “and we pray that Allah should give you the wisdom to do so, because without peace we can’t develop no matter how committed we are.”
He urged them to devise sustainable ways of granting amnesty to members of the sect as well as an effective support programme for victims.
“A number of people are victims of the excesses of the Boko Haram,” he lamented. “And as we try to address the issue of the Boko Haram, we must also comprehensively address the issues directly affecting the people. The committee must also come up with suggestions on how to address the underlying causes of the crisis, to ensure that as a nation we don’t face similar threats in the future.”
Expressing similar enthusiasm, Chairman of the Committee and Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki was confident that the negotiations will result into peace.
“The inauguration of our committee this morning has provided a veritable platform for genuine and sincere resolution of the crisis situation in the North,” he said.
“I assure you that members of this committee are prepared to bring everything that we have, our diverse experiences, our education, professionalism, tactics, skills and above all our integrity to bear in the work of this committee.
“I think the first strategy is to open up a line of communication and I am sure there are a lot of links that we can work on. It is when they have trust in us and we build confidence that all stakeholders will sit down to discuss their feelings, their position, their grudges or their complaints.”
Jonathan also inaugurated a 17-member committee on proliferation of small arms and light weapons and underscored its importance to the peace process in the North.
“Continental cross-border proliferation of arms is not only a threat to our nation’s security and stability it has also fuelled conflicts in different parts of Africa,” he said.
“The small arms and light weapons committee should establish links and cooperation with similar institutions and other agencies that can help to build capacity, enhance information sharing and develop multi-level international support relationship as well as strengthen regional cooperation.”
He also spoke on the Baga killings, promising government investigations and urging security agents to conduct their duties with respect for civilians.
“Let me use this opportunity to also charge the security agencies that while doing your work, you must also be mindful of the citizens of this country.
“In attempting to bring peace to the country or any part of the country, we should do so in a manner that will not bring destruction to the third party. The issues that affect some parts of Borno State that are in the media today is being investigated and we have told Nigerians and indeed the international community that government will take steps to make sure that if errors were made, such people are cautioned and treated in line with our laws and regulations.”
Chairman of the Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Mr Emmanuel Imokhe thanked the president and commended his relentless resolve to restore peace to the country.
“It is axiomatic to say that development cannot take place in an environment that is characterised by lack of security. Easy access to small arms and light weapons create insecurity which in turn impede growth and development in several countries within our neigbourhood,” he said.
“It follows therefore that if we seek to tackle the problem of insecurity, we must first seek to deal with the issue of easy access to small arms and light weapons. I wish to emphasis that the committee shares the president’s vision regarding the emplacement of internal peace and security that will allow the transformation agenda of this administration to flourish.”
