Despite the various challenges confronting Nigeria, the situation is not as bad as being portrayed, President Goodluck Jonathan said on Thursday.
The president made this position known while granting audience to a delegation of the Yoruba Council of Elders, led by Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo, at the State House, Marina in Lagos.
Jonathan said he always felt bad when people made statements suggesting that the nation’s situation was the worst in the world.
He said it was wrong for anybody to define Nigeria by the activities of members of the Boko Haram sect and expressed confidence that with the strategies already put in place by his administration, the story would change in the next fortnight.
Jonathan said, “My position is that let us all collectively defend and protect this country and that is why I always feel bad when people make statements that expose Nigeria as if it is the worst country on earth. We are not that bad.
“Yes, we have issues in this country. Even issues of security, like this Boko Haram, because we are managing a very delicate situation.
“Sometimes people define Nigeria by the Boko Haram.
“Nigeria cannot be defined based on Boko Haram alone. There is terror all over the world.
“We have unfair share of the terror. But luckily with what is happening now, I tell people that in the next two to three weeks this story will change.
“Because we have got the equipment that we can withstand the excesses of the Boko Haram.
“That is why these few days, you will see that the movement, we don’t want to say much, is going on gradually.
“My belief is that in the next three weeks or so if we don’t completely take over all our territories, we would have handled the Boko Haram to the extent that it will no longer be a problem to the elections that will come up”.
President Jonathan also warned public office seekers across all political parties to always put the country first.
“No matter what we want to do, that is those of us who are aspiring to run this country or even at the state level, first and foremost you must have a country.
“If we don’t have a country, there will be no office to hold; whether it is the office of the President or office of the Vice President or office of the minister or whatever office, there must be Nigeria first”, he said.
that is my president talking… talk less, listen more”
the story is changing already
The end of boko haram is here…GEJ is the man!
When he speaks it comes to pass…thats the true mark of a leader!#GEJtill2019
Gej has put smiles on the faces of nigerians…He is the first true nigerian president
Or do people want to compare it with osama bin ladens and the world trade centre’s stunt.we shall over come the insurgency soon
Nations seen as world powers couldn’t vanquish their foes with such ease , look at the chaos ISIS is causing over there, its nothing compared to ours down here. but am sure in due time it will come to an end.
We will be security conscious and stand with you in the fight against Boko Haram.
Security is everyone’s business. we should stop painting Nigeria like it’s reached a dead end even the so-called Western countries have been experiencing terrorism before we knew what AlQaeda was.
it’s not like all those iraq fighting, some times the media tend to blow it out of proportion. i pray it comes to an end soon
Security is everyone’s business so if we fail, we have failed as a country.
thank you mr president
Good news, it is high time our brothers and sisters gone back to their homes
Our military caught some French BH fighters, some these extremists will be history
God is with us in this fight, and very soon we will overcome this menace
We believe in your ability sir