Jonathan: Elections must hold in north-east

President Goodluck Jonathan has said the 2015 rescheduled general elections must hold in the north-east. The president stated this at the Nigerian Navy Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos on Thursday while commissioning four ships of the Nigerian Navy (NN). The commissioned ships include NN Ship Okpabana, a high endurance cutter acquired from the US; NNS Prosperity, […]

President Goodluck Jonathan has said the 2015 rescheduled general elections must hold in the north-east.
The president stated this at the Nigerian Navy Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos on Thursday while commissioning four ships of the Nigerian Navy (NN).
The commissioned ships include NN Ship Okpabana, a high endurance cutter acquired from the US; NNS Prosperity, a former Irish Navy fishery patrol boat acquired for use as a training ship; NNS Centenary, an offshore patrol vessel procured from China; and NNS Sagbama, donated by China. 
The president said the Armed Forces had sufficient capacity to eliminate the Boko Haram insurgency from the north-east.
Affirming that the Armed Forces were currently doing well in the troubled zone, Jonathan assured that safety would be restored to the north.
“Let me use this platform to promise my good countrymen and women that we’ll rout Boko Haram. Our capacity to achieve results in the northeast has increased sufficiently. Our men and officers are doing well in the northeast, and we must conduct the elections as scheduled by INEC. We’ll return the north to safety”, he said.
Commending the troops fighting the insurgents in the north-east, the president said he was impressed with the results of their efforts.
He said the ships were part of the six expected to be commissioned into the Nigerian Navy Fleet in 2015, adding that the commissioning represented a furtherance of continued cooperation between Nigeria, the US and China in maritime security.
He said provision of effective maritime security was imperative due to the high dependence of Nigeria’s economy on offshore resources as well as the enormous potentials of the maritime sector to enhance food security and employment generation.
Jonathan added that in line with his government’s transformation agenda and vision of becoming one of the leading economies in the world, premium was placed on improved national security including food security and employment generation.
According to the president, the Nigerian Navy, as the lead maritime security agency, deserves all the support it needs to effectively carry out its statutory roles.