Former President Goodluck Jonathan has blamed the Nigerian army for not doing enough to rescue the over 200 students of the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno, who were abducted from their schools in 2014 by Boko Haram insurgents.
Speaking on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) today, Friday, the former President said: “let me admit that yes, maybe they (the military) did their best but their best was not good enough for us to recover the girls. That I cannot say I am right or I am wrong. That does not mean I am trying to remove myself from any blame.
Dr. Jonathan made it clear that he is not to be blamed for the abduction since he was not a soldier or member of Boko Haram.
“I cannot take responsibility for the abduction, I don’t control Boko Haram. They are criminals. But as a President, of course you know it is not the President that goes to the field. You have security and intelligence officers that do the work.
“I may not be blamed for the action but I could be blamed that my security intelligence system was not strong enough to rescue the girls. If I as a politician could tell the whole world that my political ambition for any office is not worth the blood of a single Nigerian, how would I be happy that girls have been kidnapped? I am not that kind of character.”
He lamented the way the Chibok girls issue was politicized even as he wondered why the First Lady of the United States would take part in carrying a ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ placard.
“Immediately the Chibok issue came up, we expected Nigerians to be concerned about how to get these girls out. Within a couple of days, we saw people going to the US with ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ placards. How? Why? And of course, Mrs. Obama received one of those placards.”
The former President reiterated his concern over the supposed interference of President Barack Obama during the build-up to the 2015 general elections.
Jonathan questioned the rationale behind the visit of US Secretary of State, John Kerry, to Nigeria on the eve of the elections, adding that such an interference should not be swept under the carpet.
“The level of interference by the Obama government was very overwhelming. It is not as if I could not have won the election even with that. If by my own thinking and also the way other people looked at it, they go outside the normal diplomatic relationship, then it should be mentioned.
“Sending that person to Nigeria on the eve of elections even after Obama had issued a statement directing Nigerians to vote for the next chapter, that tells you something and we should not sweep these things under the carpet.
“If a foreign country whether African country or America interferes with our own elections, we should mention it.”
