THE
Presidency has said that the declaration of state of emergency in
Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States by President Goodluck Jonathan over
continued violence has not affected the ongoing amnesty talks for Boko
Haram sect.Special Adviser to the President on Student and Youth Matters, Comrade Jude Imagwe, while speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, also appealed to the youths in the affected states to cooperate with the security agencies during the period of the state of emergency.
He said the declaration of a state of emergency in the three volatile States of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, was not a declaration of war against patriotic and law abiding citizens.
Imagwe said the military hierarchy has properly been briefed by President Jonathan on the need to observe the rules of engagement in the affected states.
He told the youth in the affected states who are said to be agitated by the declaration of the state of emergency, to remain calm and give all the necessary support and cooperation to the security agencies in order to restore peace and order in the States, he said have been taken over by the insurgent groups.
He emphasized that the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North, headed by the Minister of Special Duties, Mr. Kabiru Turaki, would still continue with their work and that the state of emergency has not affected the Federal Government’s amnesty plan for the Boko Haram sect.
Imagwe said: “The declaration of the state of emergency is a welcome development. Every available has been exploited to getting to where we are today; from wide range consultations to several stakeholders’ meetings.
“The emergency rule has no interference with the ongoing consultations and negotiation on amnesty. But my concern is particularly about our young people, my brothers and sisters who constitute the major population of every part of our country, Nigeria.
“I sincerely want to use this opportunity to appeal to my brothers and sisters across the affected states, Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, to see this call as an avenue for us to see how we can contribute to the return of peace to our constituencies, our states and government areas.
“The responsibility is more on us as young people and our elders and younger brothers are looking up to us. The future of this country is solemnly rested on the shoulders of the young people and as such I feel that achieving peace should be a collective responsibility of government and the populace,” Imagwe said.
Nigeria to defend emergency rule before EU
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru is to brief the European Union (EU) on the current developments in the country, including the efforts of government at tackling the challenge of terrorism today, Thursday.
The briefing will take place in Brussels, Belgium.
Expected to be presented to the union is the recent state of emergency declared by President Goodluck Jonathan in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa and its justification.
Also expected to be tabled before the union is the implementation of the Federal Government’s transformation agenda.
Nigerian Tribune gathered from ministry source that the minister will equally present Nigeria’s perspective on regional peace and security, especially the situation in Mali, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry and Togo as well as other regional initiatives such as the post 2015 millennium development agenda.
The minister, according to the source, is leading Nigeria’s delegation to the fourth Nigeria-European Union and the 19th EU-ECOWAS political meeting.
According to the source, “Among other things, the Nigeria-European Union meeting will review political dialogue and cooperation as contained in the Nigeria-EU Joint Way Forward.
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