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I don’t want to preside over a
divided country-Jonathan tells ACF leaders
Newsdiaryonline
Wed
July 13,2011
ACF team with President Jonathan-(Pix Daily Trust)
Leaders of the Arewa Consultative Forum ACF were at the
presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday where they were received by
President Goodluck Jonathan.Newsdiaryonline
learnt that the visit was prompted by the increasing Boko Haram
insurgency.``It is a
worrisome development and we are really very
disturbed about
it ,that is why we went to meet the president’’, a source on the
visiting team told
Newsdiaryonline.
It was learnt that some of those who visited the president came
under serious pressure from people who bombarded them with
telephone calls wondering why they visited the Villa.``I
have been bombarded with calls by those who think we have
gone to endorse President Jonathan’’, a member of the ACF
delegation said this morning.
Explaining the rationale for the visit which is fast
being interpreted to
mean an endorsement of president , a
source said: “Our
concern is the security situation in the country.We know that
whatever we need to do to tackle the Boko Haram crisis has to be
done with the support of government. That is why we made up our
minds to go.’’
Adding the member of ACF
team
told
Newsdiaryonline,``Let
me tell you, even before we left for this trip to Abuja, we had
to brainstorm thoroughly to weigh the pros and cons .But we came
to the conclusion that solving the security problems was more
important that our individual egos’’.
``Yes we know that some of those in government may want to use
the visit to bolster their image and present it as part of some
kind of endorsement but
our position on the regime is clear and it
has not changed .Don’t
forget that the leader of the team that visited the president
was General Jerry Useni
who is a DPP man. And
there was also General Lawrence Onoja who was an ACN senatorial
candidate that ran against Senate President David Mark.
Despite these political differences
we all believe the issue
of insecurity in the
country, especially in the North must be tackled and we
can only do so in conjuction with the Federal government’’ ,the
source said.
ACF chairman Alhaji Aliko Mohammed (Dan Iyan Misau), Alhaji
Hassan Adamu (Wakilin Adamawa), Alhaji Saidu Barda,
and retired Brigadier
Musa Shehu were
also part of the ACF team.
According to the source President Jonathan was really pleased
with the ACF visit .Newsdiaryonline
learnt that the president said he does not want to preside
over a divided country. Also it was learnt that ACF equally
presented its detailed insight into the Boko Haram insurgency
for the FG to act upon.
It appears that ACF and President Jonathan may have found
a common ground that may
ensure regular interaction between them until the knotty
problems of insecurity are solved
in the interest of the country.
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