President Jonathan Slams Gov Shettima, Threatens Him with Withdrawal of Soldiers from Borno

President Goodluck Jonathan has slammed Governor Kashim Shettima of Bornor State over his recent comment on the spate of Boko Haram in the state, threatening to pull out officers and men of the Nigerian Army if he feels strongly about his comment.

The President said this during his 6th Presidential Media Chat held Monday Evening since he assumed office as Nigeria’s president.

The governor had told journalists after a meeting with the Mr. Jonathan at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja last week that the dreaded sect was better armed than the armed forces.

“Boko Haram are better armed and are better motivated than our own troops,” the governor had said. ‘Given the present state of affairs, it is absolutely impossible for us to defeat Boko Haram.”

But asked by one of the Journalist in the panel to respond to the comments of the governor, the president said the governor’s comment was wrong.

“The issue of the governor of Borno State, the statement is a bit unfortunate. I don’t expect a governor to make this kind of statement and if the governor of Borno State felt that the Nigerian armed forces are not useful he should tell Nigerians, I will pull them out for one month whether he will stay in that his Government House. But, if he thinks what he said is correct then I will pull out the armed forces for one month.

“A governor should be mindful of what they say. Yes there are issues, but no matter how frustrated you are you don’t make this kind of statement.

“On the issue of the appointment of military administrator, well Goodluck Jonathan is not aware that the President of Nigeria is sending military administrator to Borno State.”

Earlier, the president responded to a question asking if he is not worried about the over the increasing spate of attack in the North-East especially in Borno where hundreds have been killed in recent weeks, saying the government is worried.

He said, “I will say that we are worried, worried in the sense that we are not happy when we hear that people have been killed, not just one person but the number that we read in the newspapers.

“So, it is not as if we are not worried. We are working very hard and we will continue to work hard. We have successes. In this kind of situation people don’t want to hear about any death. So nobody talks about the successes, but the negative ones are the issues.

“It is not as if the state operatives are not working. The Boko Haram attacks started from Abuja, these massive bombings – UN Building here, the Police headquarters was bombed here in Abuja, a market was bombed. So, if the security was not working hard I think we would have even felt it in Abuja. So we are working….we will get over it.”

“If security operatives are not working hard, we would not have been walking freely in Abuja,” he said.

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