December 13, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government, on Tuesday, berated Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), over his recent remarks on Boko Haram.
At his campaign outing in Abuja at the weekend, the former Vice President expressed surprise over the continued existence of the Boko Haram terror group.
But speaking at the 11th edition of the ‘PMB Administration Scorecard Series (2015-2023) in Abuja, on Tuesday, Mohammed told Atiku to direct his questions to the PDP “under whose watch the Boko Haram insurgency started in 2009 and festered.”
The edition featured the Minister of Power, Aliyu Abubakar, who gave the scorecard of the ministry in the past seven years.
In an opening remark, Mohammed said for six years until 2015, when the Buhari administration assumed office and inherited Boko Haram, “The PDP more or less nurtured the insurgents to the monster they later became.
“Alhaji Atiku should ask his party why it allowed Boko Haram to operate freely, bombing cities, motor parks, schools and other soft targets unrestrained.
“Alhaji Atiku, who was then residing in Abuja before porting to his new abode in Dubai, should ask his party, the PDP, while it allowed Boko Haram to bomb the police headquarters, the UN complex, a shopping mall and motor parks in Abuja with so much ease.”
The minister said with the efforts and sacrifices of the Nigerian military, normalcy had returned to the North East, the home region of Boko Haram.
He said the Boko Haram terrorists had been cleared from most of their strongholds while the remnants were being restricted to the Tumbus island around Lake Chad which was difficult to access.
“The former Vice-President may want to know that both kinetic and non-kinetic activities employed by the military have seen the terrorists surrendering in droves, thereby freeing large spaces for normal socio-economic life to resume.
“The good news this year is that a bumper agricultural harvest is assured, as farmers were able to carry out extensive farming, which had not been possible since the beginning of insurgency/terrorism in the North East”, he said.
Mohammed, who cautioned Atiku against political jabs during campaigns, urged him to “Take note of the popular idiom that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones.”
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