Governors to Nyako: Mind your utterances

The Governors of the Federation rose from an enlarged National Security Council meeting Thursday in Abuja, advising one of them, Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, to henceforth mind his utterances, especially on security issues.
The security meeting, presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, with Vice President Namadi Sambo in attendance, was held at the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja.
Nyako had in a memorandum sent to the Northern States Governors Forum, accused President Jonathan’s administration of carrying out genocide in the North Eastern part of the country and asked his colleagues to investigate it.
Briefing State House Correspondents after the seven-hour meeting, the Minister of Defence, retired General Aliyu Gusau, who was flanked by the Governors of Niger, Abia, Borno and Ekiti States, said the meeting enjoined all holders of public offices to be wary of statements that are capable of exacerbating the already precarious security situation in the country.
Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State said of Nyako’s memo: “I am sure many of you will be curious about the memo written by one of us.
“We looked at it all.
“In fact, he was allowed to read the memo to all of us and we discussed and concluded that for all of us, we need to be very careful with the kind of statement we make and we need to be very careful that whatever we say must either be evidence-based or something that can be authenticated.
“There is no need to be giving terrorist the opportunity of thinking that they are succeeding.
“All the terrorist want is for him to find out that whatever he does is carried out in such a way that people will believe he is succeeding and is having some impact.”
Corroborating Aliyu, the Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji, also: “There was an unanimous condemnation of the memo written by Nyako and all public officers were advised to be conscious of what they say.”
Orji said further: “The meeting recognized the fact that security issue is not for the Federal Government alone.
“It should be a corporate issue handled corporately by the Federal Government, State and Local Governments.
“When there is a synergy, obviously progress will be made.
“The meeting also agreed that at the state level, governors who are chief security officers have to do a lot to help because that is where the security issue is: at the state level.
“In so doing, the state governors should mobilize their radio houses in other to sensitize the people in the state so that they will be aware of this security situation.
“We also agreed that Boko Haram that is on now is not a religious war.
“People should not misrepresent it to be because both Muslims and Christians are being killed.
“It doesn’t discriminate against any person.”
Gusau also said the meeting “decided that the Federal Government will do everything within its power to bring the security situation in the country, whether it is terrorism, kidnapping, herdsmen clash with farmers under control”.
The issue of the abducted school girls was also discussed extensively.
Governor Kayode Fayemi said the meeting agreed that “everything must be done to free the abducted girls”.
According to Fayemi, the meeting “stressed the importance of rising above partisanship when dealing with security issues.
“We stressed the importance of security agencies to be scrupulously professional and non partisan.
“The meeting commended the security agencies and urged them to share data amongst themselves.
“We also agreed that we need a holistic response to terrorism.
“Military action is sine qua non but there has to be an anti-poverty strategy.
“The meeting also stressed the need to address the capacity of media practitioners in order for them to be more patriotic in the reportage.”
On the incessant crisis between Fulani herdsmen and farmers, the meeting agreed that the long term objective would be to “domesticate them and create ranches as a long term measure, but in the short term, the grazing routes must be properly gazetted and enforced”.
On the issue of religion, the meeting agreed that there should be monitoring of what is being preached by some religious leaders and to make them understand the larger implication of what they preach on the nation at large.
The governors present were: Willie Obiano (Anambra), Theodore Ahmaefule Orji (Abia), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Henry Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Martin Elechi (Ebonyi), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan (Delta),
Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Kashim Shettima (Borno) and Aliyu Magatakarda Wamako (Sokoto).
Other were Mukhtar Ramalan Yero (Kaduna), Garba Umar (Taraba), Dr. Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Umar Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa), Saidu Nasamu Dakingari (Kebbi), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Muazu Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Liyel Imoke (Cross River) and Isa Yuguda (Bauchi).
The deputy governors present were those of Jigawa, Imo, Oyo, Rivers, Kano, Ogun, Plateau, Edo and Yobe, while Lagos State was not represented by any official.
Also, Ministers present were those of Interior, Abba Moro; Defence, Aliyu Gusau; Police Affairs, Abduljelil Adesiyan; Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali; Agriculture, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina; and Mohammed Bello Adoke (Justice).
The security chiefs in attendance were Chief of Army Staff, General Kenneth Minimah; Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh; the Chief of Air Staff, Adesola Amosu; the Chief of Naval Staff, Dele Joseph Ezeoba; and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar.
Also in attendance were the heads of Customs, Abdullahi Inde Dikko; Immigration, David Paradang; Federal Road Safety Corps, Osita Chidoka; and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Dr. Ade Abolurin.
To underscore the importance of the meeting, Muslims and Christians were also represented by the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar III; and Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor.