The Sliding Truth Of Boko Haram Sponsors And The Picture Confusion

In case you don’t know who they are, let’s help you out here: In the foremost center is President Goodluck Jonathan of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. To the left of you, is Senator Alimodu Sheriff, former governor of Borno State, and an evidentially accused sponsor of Boko Haram. Then to your right, is the host president, President Idris Deby of Chad. If you think the picture above is self explanatory, then good and fine otherwise, listen to what we have to say about it.

The picture above has caused an even more controversy than the Stephen Davies revelation sometimes last week, where he fingered erstwhile governor of Borno State, Alimodu Sheriff and former Chief of Army Staff, Ihejirika, as the two top ranked individuals sponsoring the dreaded Islamic terrorist group known as Boko Haram. Nigerians, both high and low profile, has argued that President Jonathan is standing in the way of justice by parading with a man under investigation. Though the Presidency has dissociated itself with the individual but so many questions are yet to be answered by President Jonathan who took a picture with an allegedly “Boko Haram sponsor”. Funny enough, the same Reuben Abati who shared the picture all over the Internet, is the one who came around to say that the president never went to Chad with Alimodu Sheriff.

Well, for those of you who has been following OpinionNigeria’s analysis will know that we are not going to make any soft landing here. The truth based on what we see, will be told.

Without doubt, during an engagement, especially one that has to do with an international meeting, the president must have his carefully selected delegates(details), guarded by his protocol office or officer(s) as the case may be. The defense put forward by the presidency is that Alimodu Sheriff was already there when President Jonathan got in and then, decided to pay him a visit as his country’s president. For us, that’s a child’s talk and has no form of credibility or responsibility. President Jonathan knows the allegation against the individual and can guess the minds of Nigerians if they are both seen together, why then did he allow such moves and why then will he expect Nigerians to think otherwise as regards his motive?

President Jonathan may have good intentions, he may mean well for Nigeria and the Nigerian people, but one thing that have remained unshakable since he assumed the topmost leadership scale in the country, is that he surrounds himself with incompetent aides and has refused to do something about it even when there’s complain from all corner of the world about them. What we expect to see from the president, what Nigerians wants to see from him as far as this issue is concern, is an authorization from the office of the president to launch a full scale investigation on the two persons fingered in Boko Haram’s sponsorship.

The president better start making the decision in this big house called Nigeria lest someone or some group will begin to do that for him.