TheCable

Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the house of representatives have asked the federal government to clear the air on Boko Haram’s “suspicious benevolence”.

The lawmakers said this in reaction to the return of schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe state.

In a statement on Monday, Leo Ogor, minority leader of the house, said there are accusations that the government is empowering the insurgents financially.

Ogor also faulted the release of “repentant” Boko Haram suspects.

“We salute the passionate commitment and sacrifice being made by our gallant military and other security agents, we urge the APC federal government to reassure worried Nigerian citizens and clear the air over the suspicious benevolence of Boko Haram terrorists in Dapchi, the APC government’s hush-hush ‘negotiations’,” the statement read.

“APC’s 2015 campaign milked the unfortunate abduction of Chibok girls for every available ounce of propaganda and disinformation against the preceding administration; its campaign rhetoric and official hoopla from the lying minister had included freeing of the Chibok girl and achieving total defeat of Boko Haram insurgents.

“Today, the APC government nurses palpable fear over any scrutiny of its errors in Dapchi or its unusual generosity towards Boko Haram which it promised to defeat but now almost sees as a partner with which to share deep and befuddling confidence.

“On January 15, this year alone, the APC government freed 244 Boko Haram members it gave a casual blanket description as being ‘repentant’ even though it is considered global best practice not to ever free anyone suspected of killing even just one uniformed soldier.

“Nonetheless, the same pattern of suspicions about likely payment of millions of Euros and release of Boko Haram terrorists pervade the air over the Dapchi incident.”

Ogor also advised the federal government to take the advice of Bill Gates, co-chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and adjust its policies on the economy.

“Although the APC government is known not to be a listening one, last Thursday, the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates emphatically stated that the federal government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan was not reflective of the people’s needs,” it read.

“It is an open secret that under APC, Nigerians have fared worse on the misery index; those who were rich before are no longer investing,
the poor are becoming poorer while almost thirty million Nigerians are either unemployed or underemployed.

“According to Bill Gates, the APC government’s concentration on physical infrastructure to the detriment of human capital development exposes the undesirable inadequacies in the health and education sectors.”