A public affairs analyst, Professor Austin Nweze on Monday analysed some of the responses given by President Goodluck Jonathan during Sunday’s Presidential Media Chat.
On Sunday, the President made statements which have been the source of controversy among Nigerians; one of which is his comment about Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau’s. The President was asked if the terrorist is alive or dead and he responded by saying he wasn’t aware.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Mr Nweze said the President was just “being honest” but that his statement revealed “lack of communication, maybe trust, in information that his lieutenants” give him.
Mr Nweze did not rule out the option of deceit on the part of the terrorist group as the said video of Shekau claiming he’s still alive as reported by the BBC Hausa service could be pre-recorded.
Mr Nweze who said that Nigerians expected a response which would give them hope of Shekau’s death added that “there is confusion everywhere about his death” adding that “whether dead or alive, you can kill him but have you killed the idea behind it?” he asked.
Citing other terrorist leaders, Mohammed Yusuf and Osama Bin Laden, he said “until you arrest the idea behind it, there’s no way you can completely wipe out terrorism”.
He also called for a re-orientation and a new focus of battling the idea behind the insurgency.
The JTF statement which declared the terrorist dead was also questioned as the release because the JTF expressed probability that Shekau had died and went further to say he died.
Mr Nweze said the uncertainty in the statement could have been a communication error.
On the on-going ASUU strike, which the President said has gone political; Mr Nweze said President Jonathan is trying to play safe.
He opined that the government is no longer interested in funding the education and health sector and advised university authorities to innovate ways of generating funds internally.
