Why Jonathan Govt Couldn’t Defeat Boko Haram – Ex-Gov Aliyu

Former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu has revealed why the Goodluck Jonathan administration failed to win the war against insurgency.

In an interview with The Punch, Aliyu alleged that some Northern politicians frustrated Jonathan’s efforts in curbing the activities of Boko Haram and defeating them.

He stressed that many northerners misconstrued Jonathan’s position on Boko Haram for political purposes and made it impossible for the proper implementation of policies that would defeat the insurgents.

The PDP chieftain argued that banditry was impossible during the Jonathan era, adding that banditry started during the Muhammadu Buhari government and has escalated in recent times.

Aliyu, however, slammed the Northern governors for failing to implement policies that would have defeated banditry.

He said: “When Boko Haram started and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan’s government started doing something about it, it fell on former President Jonathan to carry on. Many northerners misconstrued his (Jonathan) position at that time and for political purposes, they threw many arguments that made it impossible for the proper articulation and proper implementation of policies that would have got rid of Boko Haram and now, we still have them till today.

“The banditry that many of us thought was impossible to happen, I am yet to hear from anybody about the statement credited to Kawu Baraje, our former PDP national chairman in Kwara State, when he stated that they brought the bandits or Fulani from other places. I think based on the thinking that probably former President Jonathan wouldn’t have handed over power even if they had won, but he handed over.

“He congratulated them even before the conclusion proper counting of votes which then took away whatever purposes of bringing those people would have served and I would have thought that if that is true, then those who brought them in would compensate them to go back to where they came from.”