Former President Goodluck Jonathan said he thought the Boko Haram insurgency would end during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Jonathan made the disclosure at the public presentation of SCARS: Nigeria’s Journey and The Boko Haram Conundrum, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff General Lucky Irabor, at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, on Friday.

Reflecting on the insurgency that defined much of his presidency, Jonathan said his administration devised several ways to curtail the insurgency, but with little success.

He explained that during one of the processes aimed at getting the terrorists to surrender, the insurgents nominated former President Buhari as their preferred negotiator.

Jonathan admitted that with such developments, he believed Buhari’s presidency would eventually bring an end to the insurgency.

He said, “One of the committees we set up then, the Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with the government.

Jonathan added that he had hoped that, were that to have led to a dialogue when Buhari later became president, it might have been easier to secure a surrender. “But the insurgency still persisted,” he noted.

Recalling earlier efforts, Jonathan referenced the processes he supported as vice-president under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua that helped end militancy in the Niger Delta. He said the persistence of Boko Haram demonstrated the complexity of the crisis.

He said, “If you conduct research and interview many people, you will only get part of the story, but never the full story of Boko Haram. I was there. Boko Haram started in 2009 when I was vice president. I took over in 2010 and spent five years battling the insurgency until I left office.

“I thought that after I left, within a reasonable time, General Buhari would wipe them out. But even today, Boko Haram is still there. The issue of Boko Haram is far more complex than it is often presented.

“So, it’s a bit complex, and not a matter of a single story. But I believe, as a nation, we have to look at the Boko Haram issue differently from the conventional approach. I believe one day we’ll overcome it. Once again, let me thank General Irabor for this, because I always appreciate people who document events clearly. That way, when we write our own accounts, we can borrow from such documentation.

“I also believe that all the military officers involved in the Boko Haram saga should provide information about what the group truly stood for.”

Jonathan also said the issue of Boko Haram was beyond hunger, adding that his administration employed so many strategies, but they did not work.

He said, “If it was only about hunger—because we tried different options—I don’t want to sound like I’m defending my government. That will be left for history when we document our books.

“But I believe we did our best: we set up different committees and tried various approaches during the five years I was in office. I believe the late Buhari, too, must have tried his best.

One of the major scars on my government is the scar of the Chibok girls. It is a scar that will die with me,” Jonathan said. “I pray that, perhaps one day, the leaders of this group will be literate enough to write a book or come out to tell Nigerians what Boko Haram was all about.”

He said that in efforts to tackle the insurgency, which began before his presidency in 2009, his administration set up several committees to explore options for peace. “During one of such processes, the insurgents put forward Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with government,” he said.

Jonathan urged the current administration to consider a mix of incentives and pressure in addressing the insurgency. “The issue of carrots and the stick may be adopted,” he said. “If it was only about hunger — because we tried different options — I don’t want to sound like I’m defending my government, but I believe we did our best: we set up different committees and tried various approaches during the five years I was in office.”

He also questioned the source of the group’s weapons and ammunition, suggesting external involvement. “Where are these guns and sophisticated weapons coming from? You begin to see that external hands are also involved,” he said.

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara has dissolved the Board of the Rivers State Microfinance Agency set up by the former Sole Administrator of the state during the emergency rule era.

The governor also announced the immediate appointment of Pastor Jonathan Tobin as the Acting Managing Director of the Agency.

A statement signed by the Head of Service of Rivers State, Dr. Inyingi S. Brown, and made available to newsmen announced the dissolution of the board and the appointment of the acting Managing Director.

The statement further requested members of the defunct Board to hand over all properties and assets of the Board in their possession to the Acting Managing Director of the Agency.

The statement further explained that Governor of Fubara will in due course reconstitute the Board.

Here is the full statement:

The Rivers State Governor hereby announces the dissolution of the Board of the Rivers State Microfinance Agency and the immediate appointment of Pastor Jonathan Tobin as the Acting Managing Director of the Agency.

Consequently, members of the defunct Board are by this notice advised to hand over all properties and assets of the Board in their possession to the Acting Managing Director of the Agency.

His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara GSSRS, will in due course reconstitute the Board.

Dr. (Mrs ) Inyingi S. I. Brown
Head of Service
Rivers State.

A peace-building organisation under the aegis of ‘Search for Common Ground,’ has tasked media practitioners to abide by the ethics of their profession and ensure that their reportage positively impacts the society.

The call was made yesterday at a two-day training for journalists on “Conflict Sensitivity Reporting and Digital Media Peace building,” organised by Common Ground Journalists Forum in collaboration with the Nigeria Union of Journalists and Step Up for Women in Journalism Initiative, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

During her presentation on “Common Ground Media Content for Behavioural Change,” Folashade Seye-Ojo urged the participants to move away from just informative journalism to solution driven and developmental journalism.

Seye-Ojo, mass media and information officer at Search for Common Ground, advised the journalists to avoid negative stereotypes or blames and steer clear of complex language or technical terms that can cause conflict in the society.

She, however, urged that media professionals must, through their reportage, stimulate behavioural change towards peace building.

Earlier, Seye-Ojo disclosed that Search for Common Ground is fostering inclusive community-based approaches to transforming criminality and violence in the Niger Delta region.

In his presentation titled, “Journalism and Ethics,” Publisher of The Atlantic Bell, Mr. Celestine Ogolo said that in order not to contribute to the collapse of the country, journalists must be conscious of social responsibility, be accurate, and objective in their reportage

According to Ogolo, “Objectivity, fairness and accuracy are professional ethics expected to be upheld by the media in achieving good governance, sustainable development and peaceful coexistence in Nigeria.”

He urged the participants to factually inform the people so that the government and the people could work in the same direction.

He stressed that “We must take responsibility for our work, correct mistakes promptly and recognise that credibility is the profession’s most valuable asset.

“As the internet and digital media usage becomes increasingly widespread, it is a matter of strategic necessity for information gatherers and managers to fashion out practical strategies in the engagement of the various interest groups to abide by the code of ethics of the journalism profession”, Ogolo advised the participants.

At the training that Mr Sunny Dada, Mass Media and Information Manager of the Search for Common Grounds, helped participants broaden their understanding on the role of perception in communication and reportage.

Also, the Chairman, Rivers State chapter of the NUJ, Mr Paul Bazia, admonished the participants on the need to be positive change agents in the society and not influence crises through unfounded reportage.