The Borno Elders Forum, an umbrella body for elders in the
troubled northeast state, has criticized the First Lady, Patience Jonathan, for
appearing to blame Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno State for the kidnapping of
over 200 girls from Chibok secondary school.
At
a meeting with the wives of state governors Saturday, Mrs. Jonathan had
questioned the decision of the Borno State government to open the Government
Girls Secondary
School in Chibok despite warnings about insecurity.
The
students were in the school for their final certificate examinations conducted
by the West African Examination Council, WAEC.
The
head of WAEC’s national office in Nigeria, Charles Eguridu, who attended the
meeting with the First Ladies Saturday, said the Borno State governor should be
held responsible for the abductions. He said the governor ignored the council’s
warnings that students be relocated to safer areas for the examinations, and
gave a written assurance of security in the risk-prone community.
Mrs.
Jonathan said the meeting agreed that she leads a protest to the Borno State
governor’s office and other prominent officials if the girls were not found by
Sunday.
The
spokesperson of the Borno Elders Forum, Bulama Mali Gubio, said Mr. Shettima
cannot be responsible for the security of Borno State since the state is
currently under an emergency rule imposed by President Goodluck Jonathan.
“We
have listened to the very disturbing remarks of our First Lady saying Governor
of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, should be held responsible as he is the Chief
Security Officer of Borno State,” the group said. “It is very important we
remind her that the emergency declared by her dear husband, Mr President is
still in force and this means, the constitutional powers of the Governor as
Chief Security Officer have been temporarily withdrawn by the President in
accordance with section 305 of the constitution which the President relied
upon.”
“The
President is at the moment the chief security officer of Borno, Yobe and
Adamawa States while the governors have administrative powers as democratic
structures in compliance with the provisions of the constitution. The President
as chief security officer of Borno exercises his powers through his appointees,
the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff or any of the service chiefs
and the Governor administers other aspects of Governance that fall under the concurrent
legislative list of the constitution”, the group added.
The
forum said described as “very ridiculous” Mrs. Jonathan’s plan to lead women to
protest at the government house in Maiduguri when her husband is the still the
commander-in-chief of armed forces with the provision of security directly
vested on the Federal Government that he leads.
“If
the First Lady of the Nation absolves the president of blames and leads protest
to the governor of Borno, should the governor’s wife also lead protest to the
Chairman of Chibok local government area as the one to be blamed?” the group
asked.
“Should
the wife of the chairman also lead protest to the principal of the school as
the one to be blamed and possibly the principal wife or husband lead protest to
the gateman at the school as the person to be blamed? This is funny indeed, the
First Lady should grow to be the mother of the country and not to be seen doing
things that can best be seen as un-presidential and capable of causing
unnecessary confusion in the land at a time that the country desires for
leadership from her husband”.
President
Goodluck Jonathan met with the Borno State governor and other officials of the
state government in Abuja on Saturday.
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