The official
visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Cameroun to discuss joint efforts to
curb Boko Haram in the region has thrown up an indictment of former President
Goodluck Jonathan.
A very credible
Presidency source told Daily Sun that in the anti-terror war, Jonathan did not
do much in forming a synergy with leaders of Nigeria’s neighbouring countries.
The source said
during Buhari’s interaction with his Camerounian counterpart, Paul Biya, he
disclosed that Jonathan isolated himself from the leaders of Cameroun, Chad and
Niger. “The major complaint, according to Biya, is that Jonathan never or
seldom, at best, picked his calls. He said most times he called, Jonathan
neither picked nor returned his calls. And as a result, the integration of
efforts that should have stopped Boko Haram’s foray and unchallenged run was
lacking.”
Biya, according
to our source, said he was sure that leaders of other neighbouring countries
had the same experience, and therefore, questioned how Nigeria alone would have
contained Boko Haram, knowing it is an international terror group with roots
and connections in some other countries from where they get into Nigeria and
carry out attacks.
“This solo
handling of the problem did not enable the neighbours put in much to solve the
problem until it got this bad,” he said.
The source also
indicated that the Jonathan administration was lax and reluctant to bring under
control people very close to that government who are flagrantly involved in crude
oil theft and diversion.
According to the
source, while Jonathan was in power, he was aware that certain persons close to
him and coming under the guise of the protection of his government were
involved in high scale oil theft.
Another source
from the security outfit currently interrogating some key personalities of the
past administration disclosed that one of them that was detained and later
released told security agencies the Jonathan administration was quite privy to
crude oil theft using some government agencies and individuals as fronts.
Daily Sun was
told that the administration acted in compromise while the theft lasted and
never did much in checking the agencies, individuals and security fronts used
in the theft.
“There is no
individual that would have access to the crude oil loading terminals, bring in
a vessel and load the product and set sail to the high seas without being
caught. We have several agencies of government from the petroleum corporation
to the conventional security bodies like the Navy and other government bodies
that patrol the territorial waters, even private security outfits.
“So it is
practically impossible that someone would beat all these hurdles unaided and
sail out with loads of crude oil. The government was aware of the people
involved and when or where the crude oil was taken. The neighbouring countries
we share common sea boundaries with also knew that the Nigerian government
under Jonathan merely compromised in the theft,” our source said.
