President Jonathan Wednesday announced the setting up a committee to ‘constructively engage key members of the Boko Haram sect’ with a view to defining a “Comprehensive and workable framework for resolving the crisis of insecurity in the northern part of the country”.
Similarly, the president also announced members of another committee to look into the proliferation of small arms and light weapons which have contributed to growing insecurity and instability in the country.
The setting up of the committee ostensibly followed the recommendation the National Security Council which met in Abuja tuesday to deliberate on the workability of granting amnesty to members of the Boko Haram sect
The composition of the two committees is as follows:
COMMITTEE ON DIALOGUE AND PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF SECURITY CHALLENGES IN THE NORTH
1. Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, Minister of Special Duties - Chairman
2. Sheik Ahmed Lemu – Member
3. Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed - Member
4. Col. Musa Shehu, (rtd.) – Member
5. Sheik Abubakar Tureta - Member
6. Dr.Datti Ahmed - Member
7. Senator Sodangi Abubakar - Member
8. Senator Ahmed Makarfi - Member
9. Hon. Mohammed Bello Matawalle - Member
10. Amb. Zakari Ibrahim – Member
11. Comrade ShehuSani – Member
12. Hajiya Naja’atu Mohammed - Member
13. Malam Adamu S. Ladan – Member
14. Dr. Joseph Golwa – Member
15. AVM A. I. Shehu - Member
16. Mr. R. I. Nkemdirim - Member
17. DIG P. I. Leha - Member
18. Prof. Nur Alkali - Member
19. Malam Salihu Abubakar - Member
20. Alhaji Abubakar Sani Lugga - Member
21. Barrister Ibrahim Tahir – Member
22. Brig-Gen. Ibrahim Sabo – Member
23. Amb. Baba Ahmed Jidda – Member
24. Group Capt. Bilal Bulama,Rtd. – Member
25. Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi – Member
26. Representative of OSGF - Secretary
COMMITTEE ON SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS
1. Amb. Emmanuel Imohe - (Chairman)
2. Amb. Martin I. Uhomoibhi - Member
3. Amb. T. D. Hart – Member
4. Amb.Ghali Umar – Member
5. Amb. B.G. Wakil - Member
6. Mr. Opelusi Olureti – Member
7. Representative of Ministry of Interior – Member
8. Representative of NSA – Member
9.Representative of DG (SSS) – Member
10.Representative of NIA - Member
11.Representative of Federal Ministry of Justice – Member
12.Representative of Ministry of Defence - Member
13.Representative of DIA - Member
14.Representative of the Nigeria Police Force – Member
15.Representative of the Nigerian Customs Service – Member
16.Representative of OSGF - Member
17.Director, International Organisations Dept (MFA) – Secretary
Source: Vanguard
UPDATE: Am not interesting - Shehu Sani
Shehu Sani
A human rights activist, Shehu Sani, has declined to serve in the 26-member Presidential Committee empanelled by President Goodluck Jonathan to constructively engage key members of the extremist Boko Haram sect.
The committee is also to define comprehensive and workable framework for resolving insecurity in the country.
But in a post on his Facebook page on Wednesday night, Mr. Sani suggested he was not consulted before the appointment and announced he won’t serve on the committee
“My friends called me this afternoon to inform me that they saw my name on the list of the Presidential committee on Amnesty,” Mr. Sani said. “This is to thank our president for giving me such an honour and consideration. However, I humbly and respectably wish to decline to serve as member.
“My advice remains: Reach out to the persons I mentioned their names in my interviews in the dailies to discreetly consult with the group to get their input on the idea. Thanks.”
Mr. Sani has repeatedly criticized the federal government over its handling of the Boko Haram insurgency. He had suggested that journalist Ahmad Salkida, who had reported extensively on the insurgency, should be engaged to reach out to the leadership of the violent sect.
President Jonathan had on Wednesday constituted the Presidential Committee following months of pressure on him to grant amnesty to members of the group.
Apart from engaging members of the Boko Haram sect, the panel is also to define comprehensive and workable framework for resolving insecurity in the country.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, who disclosed this to State House correspondents at a press briefing at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the 26-member amnesty committee would be chaired by the Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, while a representative of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation will serve as Secretary.
Apart from Mr. sani, other members are, Ahmed Lemu, Hakeem Baba Ahmed, Musa Shehu (rtd.), Abubakar Tureta, Datti Ahmed and Abubakar Sodangi.
Also in the committee are Ahmed Makarfi, Mohammed Matawalle, Zakari Ibrahim, Naja’atu Mohammed, Adamu Ladan, Joseph Golwa, A.I. Shehu and R.I Nkemdirim.
Other members are, P. I. Leha, Nura Alkali, Salihu Abubakar, Abubakar Sani Lugga,Ibrahim Tahir, Ibrahim Sab, Baba Ahmed Jidda, Bilal Bulama, and Bolaji Akinyemi
Mr. Abati said the decision to set up the committee was sequel to the consideration of the report of the technical committee set up by the National Security Council on insecurity in the Northern part of the country.
He listed the committee’s terms of reference to include, developing a framework for the granting of amnesty and setting up of a framework through which disarmament could take place within a 60-day time frame.
Mr. Abati said the committee would also develop a comprehensive victims’ support programme, and mechanisms to address the underlying causes of insurgencies that will help to prevent future occurrences.
He said the president also constituted a Federal Government committee on the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
The constitution of the second committee, according to Mr. Abati, is in keeping with Nigeria’s pledge to work with the UN and other countries to stem “the worrisome proliferation of small arms and light weapons’’.
” The president said the use of such weapons was creating insecurity and instability in Nigeria and other developing nations.’’
The 17-member Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons is chaired by Emmanuel Imohe, while the Director, Department of International Organisation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will serve as Secretary.
Other members are the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Martin Uhomoibhi, T.D. Hart, Ghali Umar, M.G. Wakil and Opelusi Olureti.
Others are a representative each from the Ministry of Interior, Office of the National Security Adviser, Office of the Director General, State Security Services and the National Intelligence Agency
Also on the committee are a representative each of the Federal Ministries of Justice and Defence; Defence Intelligence Agency, the Nigeria Customs Services and Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
M. Abati said the president would formally inaugurate the committees on Wednesday, April 24, at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Source: Premium Times
UPDATE: Am not interesting - Ibrahim Datti
The Boko Haram amnesty committee set up by President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday has suffered yet another blow as a second nominee, Dr. Ibrahim Datti Ahmed pulled out of the committee today.
The renowned medical doctor and President of the Supreme Council of Sharia in Nigeria, Dr. Datti will be the second person to pull out of the committee in the last 24 hours.
Yesterday, civil rights activist Shehu Sanni and president of Kaduna-based Civil Rights Congress (CRC) pulled out of the committee through an announcement on twitter. Comrade Sanni said the Nigerian president did not contact him before including his name.
Source: Sahara Reporters
UPDATE: Why I rejected it - Datti Ahmad
The cleric said he turned down the offer because the Federal Government had been insincere in their dealings with him in the past.
The head of the Supreme council for Sharia in Nigeria, Datti Ahmad, has turned down his appointment into a 26-member committee announced by the Federal Government on Wednesday to dialogue with members of the Boko Haram sect with a view to granting them amnesty in turn for disarmament.
Speaking to the Hausa service of the BBC on Thursday, Mr. Ahmad said he turned down the appointment because of his past experience in dealing with the government on the issue of Book Haram.
The cleric had been approached by the federal government after the insurgent group agreed to have him as a mediator. He, however pulled out during the mediation process.
“Firstly, I declined my appointment because on the two occasions we tried to risk everything and intervene with a view to ending the insurgency, the federal government wasn’t sincere. When approached (Boko Haram), they gave two conditions upon which successful dialogue will take place,” he said.
The conditions, Mr. Ahmad said, were that the federal government should release all their wives and children in detention, while the second one was for the government to put a stop to the gross abuse of human rights in Borno and Yobe States.
Source: Premium Times
Mr. Ahmad said the government agreed to these demands but later reneged.
He said that he only saw his appointment into the committee on the pages of newspapers. The Islamic cleric added that he is sure the government is also not sincere this time, going by the leadership of the 26 man committee.
“The chairman is a serving minister, while the secretary is also a civil servant, so they may end up lying in the report because they will feel obligated to tell the government what it wants to hear,” he said.
Mr. Ahmad’s refusal of the appointment follows that of Kaduna-based activist, Shehu Sani.
Mr. Sani had after the government made the announcement on Wednesday rejected the appointment; saying he had written and spoken extensively about how to solve the crisis and that government only need to refer to his earlier opinion on the matter.
