TheCable

Nigeria will soon start recruitment of more soldiers to combat terrorism, President Goodluck Jonathan has said.

Speaking at Sunday’s presidential media chat, Jonathan said the country’s latest terrorism challenge requires making certain fortifications that were not previously thought of.

“In this country, for quite some time, we have not been equipping our Armed Forces that much, because we’ve never had challenges until this issue of Boko Haram came,” he said.

“So what we’re trying to do within a period is what we should have done in the past 10 years or so; and we’re doing just that now.”

The president also said a lot of commentators on government’s handling of terrorism are not exactly in a position to appraise the situation.

“When you wake up and you hear that there was a bomb blast somewhere, as a Nigerian, you are tempted to say certain things. But it takes those who are currently handling it and those who are in the shoes to even explain what has been done, and what has not been done,” Jonathan said.

“The ordinary person will not want to hear a bomb blast anywhere, whether it is in Nigeria, whether it is in Syria, whether it is in Egypt, whether it is in Pakistan, whether it is in Kenya. No ordinary citizen of a country will want to hear of a bomb blast.”

He added that the terrorism situation has greatly improved from the time when he had to monitor what was happening in the country even during church services on Sundays.

“Now, it has really gone down. Before, most times, those who attend service with me in the State House will be looking at my face; and after some time, it is not likely to change,” he said.

“In those dark days, we will be in service and hear that in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, they are blasting churches. But now, it has really improved.”