Obasanjo, Nyako, Oshiomole attend National Council of State Meeting, Buhari absent

 Nigeria’s National Council of State (NCS) meeting held yesterday, Tuesday, and the attendance list was of great interest. Embattled Governors, Muritala Nyako  of Adamawa State and Adams Oshiomole of Edo State were in attendance. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo too was present.

Questions that arose before the meeting commenced were: Would President Goodluck Jonathan, whom many believe is currently backing his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a political onslaught in Edo and Adamawa, soft-pedal if the governor’s “behave” themselves at the meeting? Would Obasanjo get the nod to go “bring back our girls”?

Well, at the end of the day, the major resolution of the meeting was a promise that the Chibok girls would soon be rescued.

Recall that over 200 girls were abducted from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, on the night of April 14 this year, by the terrorist group, Boko Haram, an incident which attracted global outcry. Three months after, the girls are in still in captivity with concerns about their health and welfare.

 Briefing journalists after the meeting, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio said that the military high command had assured of the girls’ safety and that they would soon be rescued.

His words: “Top on the agenda of the meeting was the security of the nation. We were briefed by the President and the National Security Adviser on the steps that are being taken. Top on the security issue was the rescue of Chibok girls, which military authorities also confirmed that efforts were being made and that very soon we will have good news.

“It is also heart-warming to note that the issue is not whether we can rescue the girls, but the issue is how can we rescue them in a way that we can ensure their safety so that we don’t end up endangering their lives in the attempt to rescue them?”

Akpabio also said, “What also came out is the need for Nigerians to be patient because terrorism is a new challenge in Nigeria and it is not something that goes away immediately and we have to be meticulous in our approach and make sure that we take the best steps forward to reduce and minimise possible loss of lives in an attempt to curb the insurgents. We are very satisfied the security agents know very well where the girls are located and they are on top of the situation.”

So, did Obasanjo get Jonathan’s approval to engage the Boko Haram on the issue of Chibok girls? Akpabio would not speak on that. He said that only President Jonathan can answer that question.

The NCS meeting was the second of the year.

The Council of State is the highest advisory body in the country. Members include former Presidents and Heads of State, former Chief Justices of Nigeria, governors of the 36 states, Minister of the FCT, Attorney General of the Federation, the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives. Other members are the Inspector General of Police, the Directors General of the Department of State Services and National Intelligence Agency.

Apart from Obasanjo, present at the meeting were Shehu Shagari; Former Heads of State, Yakubu Gowon, Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar. The former Interim Head of National Government, Ernest Shonekan was also present.

Others at the meeting were the Vice President Namadi Sambo; Senate President, David Mark; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal; National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki; and former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mohammad Uwais. Governors of Kaduna, Delta, Niger, Ebonyi, Bayelsa, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers, Kebbi, Gombe, Enugu, Acting governor of Taraba and deputy governors of Benue, Jigawa, Ondo, Ogun and Yobe states all attended.

Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), a national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was the only living ex-Head of State absent.