Buhari is fighting Boko Haram with arms I procured - Ex-president says

dimeji akinloye

January 28, 2016 11:00 PM

He made the statement while speaking to France 24. He affirmed that no new equipment has been bought.

Goodluck Jonathan, Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Former president Goodluck Jonathan has said that President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is continuing that fight against Boko Haram with the equipment the immediate past government porcured.

He said: “The new government is working hard and I believe they are still using the equipment we procured. Though the budget is still being debated, no new equipment has been bought; so even those equipment the President is using to prosecute the war against Boko Haram are those equipment we procured.

“When Boko Haram started in Nigeria, we had no terror experience. Yes, we had armed robbery and other common crimes, but terrorism was different because the people involved were not afraid to die.

“So, you need a different mechanism to confront terrorism, you need superior technology, so that you will be able to stop them even before the attack. We never had the equipment, but when we were confronted, we started acquiring and before I left office we built reasonable capacity and I believe with what we left behind and also with what the new government will acquire, they will be able to prosecute this terror war to a reasonable conclusion.”

Speaking on the crisis rocking the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Jonathan admitted that the party is unstable because it is yet to recover from its loss in the 2015 general elections.

READ: 'I did my best with education when I was in power' - Goodluck Jonathan

He stated; “The PDP definitely will have some minor issues, it is expected. We lost the presidency and definitely we will have some kind of leadership problems.

“When you have a president, everybody looks up to the president. But when you no longer have the president, it becomes difficult for the party to have strong leadership.

“I believe whatever you observe will be sorted out. Leaders of the party, elders of the party have been meeting and all this perceived disagreement will soon be sorted out.

“Every political party has misunderstanding, it is not new, it is always there. From the beginning of PDP, even before I got to Abuja as a vice-president and president, there were instances when the chairman of the party will be asked to step down. And some officers leave from time to time when there are issues. So, what is happening is not new but I promise you that PDP will stabilize.

“In fact, by March this year, we are going in to elect officers at the lowest levels of the wards to the local government, to the states, to the zones, then of course the national officers will be elected; that is just in March. So the party will bounce back, whatever you are perceiving, it always happens and we will get over it”

The ex-president is yet to react to the ongoing probe of the $2.1billion arms procurement, which former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, allegedly diverted and shared to some PDP members and former army chiefs.

dimeji akinloye