Nigeria - State Governor Blames Corrupt Politicians For Boko Haram Menace

Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako, at the weekend, blamed corrupt politicians and political opportunists of using the Boko Haram sect to perpetuate violence and instability in the country, thereby settling  political scores  with  their perceived opponents.

The governor, who spoke while breaking his Ramadan fast with labour leaders and journalists, at the weekend, in Yola, stated that the aim of the politicians was to create the impression that there was a religious war in the country, thereby heating up the polity.

He stated that the aim of the politicians was to create the impression that there was a religious war in the country, thereby heating up the polity.

Nyako said the current security challenges  was traceable to the activities of corrupt politicians, who usually dumped the sect members after using them to achieve their selfish aims.

According to him, “The madness in the last one year or so must be stopped. We must all work assiduously to restore sanity. We have century long history of peaceful co-existence, never have the issue of one’s faith being questioned, we have existed as communities, inter-married, and lived together as one.”

He  observed that Boko Haram fundamentalists tendencies was not a new phenomenon in the Muslim part of the country and that it had always being accommodated and managed by Islamic religious leaders, blaming the current violent on politicians and criminals. 

On the spate of violent attacks on place of worships for both Christian and Muslim, Nyako said: “Both religions abhor violence in all ramifications.” 

The governor, who lamented the increasing security challenges across the country, especially in the North-eastern region, said the situation was seriously affecting the progress and development effort of the region.

Nyako, who stressed that the situation was forcing foreign investor and development donor partners to stay away, explained that the insecurity situation in the country had forced up the cost of doing business by over 300 per cent, as foreign companies had started demanding for securities for their human and financial investments.

Nyako stated that the country was committing huge resources to the maintenance of security which ought to be devoted to development of infrastructure, and called on journalists as nation builders, to rally round the federal and state governments to check the spate of insecurity in the country.