GEJ ACCEPTS US INTERVENTION FOR CHIBOK GIRLS, INAUGURATES 30 MAN COMMITTEE ON CHIBOK ABDUCTION

The President, Goodluck Jonathan today accepted offer from the United States of America to help locate and rescue the abducted girls from the Government Girls Secondary School, chibok. According to the Statement issued this afternoon,

“The offer from President Barack Obama which was conveyed to President Jonathan by the United States Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry in a telephone conversation which began at 15.30 Hours today, includes the deployment of U.S. security personnel and assets to work with their Nigerian counterparts in the search and rescue operation.”

It added that Mr. Kerry assured President Jonathan of the full commitment of the United States to giving Nigeria the required support and assistance to save the abducted girls and bring the reign of terror unleashed on parts of the country by Boko Haram to an end.
Mr. Jonathan told Mr. Kerry that Nigeria’s security agencies would appreciate the deployment of American counter-insurgency know-how and expertise in support of their efforts.

The statement further said that following Mr. Jonathan’s conversation with Mr. Kerry, he met with the Chief of Defence Staff, Service Chiefs and heads of national security agencies “in continuation of the national efforts to find and rescue” the girls.
Mr. Jonathan received updates on the situation, and gave approval for recommended further actions, the statement said.

PRESIDENT INAUGURATES 30 MAN COMMITTEE ON CHIBOK ABDUCTION

Also, the president has inaugurated the 30 man committee to look to the activities that led to the abduction of the Chibok girls. During the inauguration the President said,

"You will agree with me that this is not a committee that brings joy to me and indeed our country men and women. However, it is a necessary step which government must take to confront the sad circumstances surrounding the abduction of female students, our daughters in Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok.
First let me make it very clear – luckily the Minister of Justice is here – that this committee is neither a judicial committee nor an administrative committee to look into the affairs of this incident. No. It is not administrative panel set up by federal government or a judicial committee. I must make that very clear because those are the responsibilities of the state and not that of the federal government. Continue...

I say so because before you know somebody will go to court and say that federal government is interloping in an area which is supposed to be an exclusive preserve of the state. The operation of the security and intelligence services will continue to intensify till our daughters are rescued and brought safely home to their families. Rather this committee will be primarily concern with providing public interface with all directly concerned in this tragedy, in order to provide a well-coordinated citizens input into the overall investigations.The whole world is watching you because that is why we made sure that an information officer is attached to you. Because I believe you will be speaking to the world every six hours or at least once a day as to the progress of the committee. I am appreciative of the fact that this sad incident has attracted global outrage. This is a clear testimony to the fact that humanity can come together and stand as one against evil no matter how it is presented. This is the time when we must dwell together beyond all political, religious or regional divide against our common enemy. We must remain vigilant and be ready to assist security agencies and authorities at all time,” he said.Chairman of the Committee, Rtd. Gen. Ibrahim Sabo pledged that himself and the other members will do their best. Members invited from Borno state and the UN were absent at the inauguration.

Members of the committee include two representatives of the National Council of Women Societies, NCWS); two female representatives, Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools, ANCOPSS; two representatives of the national members of Parents Teachers Association; two representatives of the Nigeria Police, and two representatives of the State Security Service.

Others are two representatives of the Nigerian Army, two representatives of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, one representative of the Federal Ministry of Information (who would be the Committees’ Spokesperson), and one Representative of the Federal Ministry of Justice as well as three Representatives of the Borno State Government (two of whom, preferably, shall be women), one Representative of the United Nations, one Representative of ECOWAS (who shall be a woman) and the Permanent Secretary (Special Services Office) who shall be the Secretary of the Committee.