President Goodluck Jonathan
THE
United States has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to fulfil his
promises to implement developmental projects in the troubled states of
Borno, Yobe and Adamawa in order to curb Boko Haram insurgency in the
region.
The three states have been under the emergency rule since May.
US Permanent Representatives to the
United Nations, Samantha Power, who said this in her opening remarks at a
meeting with some civil society organisations in Abuja on Wednesday,
also expressed worry about what she called uncoordinated security
crackdown on Boko Haram members.
This, she noted, had resulted in loss of lives of many innocent people.
She said, “The United States is
concerned by some of the stories we hear of inhumane detention practices
in Nigeria, and I have discussed this with officials here. Security
crackdowns that do not discriminate between legitimate targets and
innocent civilians are both counterproductive and wrong.
“We know how hard it is to fight
insurgency and terrorism, but we have also seen how much more effective
we are when we put the welfare of the local population at the heart of
our efforts.”
The envoy, who regretted that the US and
Nigeria had been targets of terrorists, said the Nigerian government
must implement policies that would help lay a foundation for longer term
progress.
“I was pleased to hear President
Jonathan’s announcement earlier this month of his development plan for
the North-East. Efforts to fight poverty, create jobs, and respect the
dignity and rights of all people would help lay a foundation for longer
term progress. My government will be urging President Jonathan to fulfil
his commitment to implement his plan as soon as possible,” she said.
Power said the meeting was called to
have a candid conversation with civil society organisations to know the
challenges confronting them in promoting free, fair, and transparent
elections, fighting corruption, advancing responsible, effective, and
rights-respecting approaches to insecurity.
She observed that the US and Nigeria
shared much in common because they “both have vibrant civil societies,
whose promotion of civic engagement was key to advancing important
reforms and making government accountable to its citizens.
Power said, “In Nigeria, civil society
organisations like yours have tirelessly advocated for increasing the
credibility of elections and citizens’ participation in the electoral
process, which is so vital for any democracy. You all have also worked
to highlight the impact of poor governance and public corruption on the
average Nigerian citizen who wants to contribute meaningfully to
society.
“Tragically, we have both been targeted
by terrorists. The brutality of the attacks against your people is
shocking. In responding to these attacks, it is essential that we do so
consistent with the most fundamental of international human rights
norms.”
She said efforts of the civil society
could help Nigeria to empower women, create new opportunities for young
people, expose and curb corruption, strengthen democratic institutions,
and ensure that the electoral process became free and fair.
Expressing the US concern over the
irregularities in last month’s governorship election in Anambra State,
Power said her country would follow closely the next governorship
elections in Ekiti and Osun states.
“The 2015 election will draw global
attention and can – if you push hard enough – prove a model for all of
Africa, if they are free, fair, and transparent,” she added.
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