Goodluck Jonathan is president of Nigeria.
I have
had to remain quiet about the continuing efforts by Nigeria’s military,
police and investigators to find the girls kidnapped in April from the
town of Chibok by the terrorist group Boko Haram. I am deeply concerned,
however, that my silence as we work to accomplish the task at hand is
being misused by partisan critics to suggest inaction or even weakness.
My
silence has been necessary to avoid compromising the details of our
investigation. But let me state this unequivocally: My government and
our security and intelligence services have spared no resources, have
not stopped and will not stop until the girls are returned home and the
thugs who took them are brought to justice. On my orders, our forces
have aggressively sought these killers in the forests of northern Borno
state, where they are based. They are fully committed to defending the
integrity of their country.
My heart aches
for the missing children and their families. I am a parent myself, and I
know how awfully this must hurt. Nothing is more important to me than
finding and rescuing our girls.
Since
2010, thousands of people have been killed, injured, abducted or forced
by Boko Haram, which seeks to overwhelm the country and impose its
ideology on all Nigerians. My government is determined to make that
impossible. We will not succumb to the will of terrorists.
A handout photograph made available by the World Economic Forum shows President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, speaking during the opening plenary session of the World Economic Forum on Africa in Abuja, Nigeria. (Benedikt Von Loebell / World Eco/EPA)
The
abduction of our children cannot be seen as an isolated event.
Terrorism knows no borders. This month, Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad,
Niger, Britain and the United States established an External Intelligence Response Unit
to share security information on such threats in West Africa. I propose
that we build on this step to establish an enduring, worldwide
commitment to destroying terrorism and those who finance or give safe
haven to the terrorists.
In
September, I will urge the U.N. General Assembly to establish a
U.N.-coordinated system for sharing intelligence and, if necessary,
special forces and law enforcement to confront terrorism wherever it
occurs.
In Nigeria, there are political,
religious and ethnic cleavages to overcome if we are to defeat Boko
Haram. We need greater understanding and outreach between Muslims and
Christians. We also know that, as it seeks to recruit the gullible, Boko
Haram exploits the economic disparities that remain a problem in our
country. We are addressing these challenges through such steps as
bringing stakeholders together and creating a safe schools initiative, a
victims’ support fund and a presidential economic recovery program for
northeastern Nigeria. We are also committed to ridding our country of
corruption and safeguarding human and civil rights and the rule of law.
Something
positive can come out of the situation in Nigeria: most important, the
return of the Chibok girls, but also new international cooperation to
deny havens to terrorists and destroy their organizations
wherever they are — whether in the forests of Nigeria, on the streets of
New York or sanctuaries in Iraq or Pakistan. Those who value humanity , civilization and the innocence of children can do no less.
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