If truly Pres. Jonathan did not plan to visit Chibok, then why did these 4 things happen? Posted By TheScoop on May 17, 2014 by Segun Odeleye Yesterday, the president’s spokesman, Reuben Abati, insisted that Pres. Goodluck Jonathan never planned to visit Chibok yesterday and only had the trip to Paris on his itinerary. This claim was despite media reports by Reuters that he planned to attend. Despite Abati’s claims, some stories and developments from yesterday just makes it hard to believe that news of the president’s intended visit was only just a rumour. Firstly, several media houses confirmed that an advance team from the presidential villa actually left for Maiduguri, the Borno capital on Thursday, which would not have happened if there was no plan for a visit. Secondly, as early as 6am on Friday, the Airport Road leading to the Nigerian Air Force Base, and the Government House, Maiduguri, were heavily manned by security operatives, including soldiers and policemen. However, the security operatives withdrew by 9.35am when the cancellation of the visit was rumoured in capital. Thirdly, Gov. Kashim Shettima was out of the state the day before, but the Borno governor had to rush back to Maiduguri in a chartered flight from Abuja. Shettima landed at the Maiduguri International Airport at about 9am and drove straight to the Government House along with the Secretary to the state government, Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda. Lastly, a leader of the Chibok community confirmed that members of the community, including parents of some of the kidnapped girls were gathered in a town hall waiting for Pres. Jonathan. He said: “Yes, we received an information from the state government that Mr. President is no longer visiting Chibok, until further notice. Already, we have informed our people, including the parents of the abducted schoolgirls who had earlier gathered at the town hall waiting for Mr. President. With this information, I urged them to disperse and go back to their respective houses and communities. As I am talking to you now, I am also on my way back to Maiduguri.” So, even though we really want to believe Reuben Abati, these four issues just won’t let us completely tilt to that corner.
Posted on: Sun, 18 May 2014 19:14:17 +0000
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