Christians in the North have asked President Goodluck
Jonathan to resign over his comment on Boko Haram.
Jonathan was quoted to have said he could not crush the
Islamic sect because “they are our siblings and you cannot set the army to wipe
out your family”.
In a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Sunday Oibe, the
Northern Christian Association of Nigeria said the comments credited to
Jonathan was an indication that the country was in a helpless situation
as the President “does not seem to understand the aim of the sect to
destabilise his administration.”
According to the CAN, it is shocking
for the President to say he will not deploy the military to deal
with terrorist who have been killing other Nigerians and threatening the
corporate existence of the country.
The body argued that it was clear that the President
has been shielding the group at the expense of the lives of innocent people,
urging Nigerians to have a rethink on the type of president that is governing
the country at the moment.
The statement read in part, “What he is telling us now
is that there is nothing he can do about it, but we know that the Federal
Government has the capacity to stop the madness being unleashed on Nigerians.
However, it is now obvious that the President will rather shield criminals.
“Every Nigerian can recall how former President
Olusegun Obasanjo reacted when the Niger Delta militants attacked soldiers in
Udi. Even though the militants were asking for their legitimate right,
Obasanjo dealt with them squarely for resorting to criminality in agitating for
their right. No country in the world will allow its soldiers, trained to defend
the territorial integrity of the nation to be killed by a gang of criminals and
get away with it.
“Nigerians can also recall that in Zaki – Biam, Benue
state, the same Obasanjo as President sent troops to deal ruthlessly with
the people there for allegedly killing soldiers.
“Now on a daily basis soldiers, police and other
security personnel are being killed by Boko Haram members and the President has
the effrontery to tell us that these murderers are members of the family and he
cannot mobilise the army to deal with them.
“Jonathan has failed us Christians, he has failed
Nigerians and he should resign because by this statement, it is very clear that
he is not capable of handling the danger pose by the Boko Haram insurgency.”
Also, the Anglican Communion, Kaduna Diocese said
illiteracy, unemployment and poverty in the North were not
responsible for various crises in the region.
In a 10-point – communiqué issued at the
end of the 1st session of the 19th Synod of the Diocese and signed by the
Diocesan Bishop, Rt. Rev Josiah Idowu –Fearon, insisted that illiteracy,
poverty and unemployment were never the cause of the sundry crises in the
region as many were wont to believe