A bed-ridden victim of Wednesday’s bomb attack at the EMAB Plaza, Wuse II Abuja, Solomon Tesso, on Friday cried out for a job from President Goodluck Jonathan during the president’s visit to the Maitama General Hospital to commiserate with survivors. The victim, who spoke in pidgin English, told the president that he was caught by the blast as he struggled to make ends meet by selling GSM recharge cards, having left school years ago and unable to find a regular job.
He said he had not been able to sleep since he was brought to the hospital and was now agonizing over what lay ahead of him in his present condition.
“Na recharge card I dey sell for Banex Plaza. I no get job. See what I am going through; since yesterday I no fit sleep. I finish school since, no job. I can’t go and steal; na recharge card I de sell, Sir. If people can help me to start better business, to start my life again…”
The president, however, did not respond directly to his request but only said he was happy that the victim survived the attack.
“We are happy you are alive. Thank God you are alive,” Jonathan said.
The president had cut short his trip to the 23rd Ordinary Session of the African Union Heads of States and Governments in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, because of the bomb attack.
Before visiting the Maitama General Hospital, he had inspected the scene of the blast to see things for himself, after which he vowed that the perpetrators of the attack would be punished.
Accompanied by the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, and other top government officials, Jonathan arrived there at about 11.10 a.m. and was briefed on the incident by Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba.
Speaking with reporters after the visits, Jonathan said the latest attack was regrettable and painful, observing that when some Nigerians were struggling and thinking about how to contribute to national development, some people were planning to kill them.
He described this era of bomb blasts and other forms of terrorism as the darkest phase of the nation’s history, but expressed the belief that Nigeria would overcome it.
Jonathan said: “It is quite regrettable and extremely painful that when some Nigerians are struggling, thinking about how to contribute to nation development, working very hard to take care of their families and train their children, others are busy planning to kill people, intimidate people, and destroy people’s property. It is regrettable. It is one of the darkest phases in the history of our nation; but surely we will get over it.”
The president appealed to Nigerians to bear with the security forces over their various initiatives to curtail the threat of terror.
He said, “I will use this opportunity to continue to plead with our citizens that under such situation, security operatives will come up with different options that sometimes will create some inconvenience for us. Instead of condemning them, let us bear (with them).
“We all bear some pains, from the highest to the least, because as a president, I may not go to everywhere I would have loved to go. These are some of the challenges I have to face. Even for our citizens, under such condition, we have reached some level of restrictions and some pains. Instead of shouting and insulting security operatives, let’s give them maximum cooperation; give them relevant information.”
Jonathan reiterated that terrorism is not peculiar to Nigeria, as all countries that face terror suffer the same thing. He said that citizens must therefore give maximum cooperation to the security forces in their effort to successfully deal with the situation.
Source: Tribune