The Presidency has dismissed claims that President
Goodluck Jonathan is afraid of Boko Haram.
Special Assistant to the President on Public
Communication, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said this at a media briefing in Abuja on
Tuesday.
He said it was wrong to assume that Jonathan refused to
go to Eagles Square, Abuja, for the second year running to mark the country’s
52nd Independence on Monday because he feared he could be attacked by the
Islamic sect.
Okupe said, “The President was not and is not afraid of
the sect. To say he celebrated the anniversary in his bedroom because of Boko
Haram sect is an insult.”
But when asked why the President increased the number
of the Special Forces Battalion of the Brigade of Guards in the Presidential
Villa, Okupe said it was because the Boko Haram issue was a very serious one.
He said, “We are dealing with a very serious sect, Boko
Haram, and I am surprised that people are asking why the President is ensuring
that his security is beefed up.
“Under this circumstance, the President is the
commander-in-chief. When you go to war; the commander-in-chief is the one in
charge.
“When you go to war, in those days the man that carries
the flag, when he falls down, that is the end of the war.
“So, you have to make sure that he (the C-in-C) stands
and stands erect. The fact that the security in the Villa is beefed up is borne
out of necessity and circumstances.”
President presented regimental colour to the newly
established 176 Special Forces battalion of the Brigade of Guards at the
Presidential Villa on Monday.
The new battalion was said to have been established due
to insecurity in the country.
Its establishment brought the number of battalions
under the guard to three.
Our correspondent reports that a battalion is made up
of between 700 and 1000 soldiers.
However, a typical battalion under the United Nations
is usually made up of 776 soldiers.
Okupe chided the opposition political parties for their
criticisms of the government.
He said the only thing the opposition celebrates
was “evil and disasters,” wondering why they refused to join hands with the
Federal Government to fight corruption in the country.
He said the way the opposition was conducting its
affairs, indicated that its members were not ready to assume power in 2015.