Despite all the recent attacks by the Borno State based Boko Haram group on the Nation, President Goodluck Jonathan Friday ruled out any plans to impose a state of emergency in Borno State. The President, in
response to calls that he should impose emergency rule in the state held hostage by the Boko Haram sect, affirmed that normalcy was steadily returning to the troubled state and that with such good news, there was no need for emergency rule in the state.
At a maiden interactive session with State House Correspondents, new Presidential Spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati, faulted the claims, saying that the criticism was unnecessary, as the PM’s visit was a working and not State Visit. “Foreign dignitaries are not running away from Abuja, I mean Abuja is not under siege. You will recall of course that it was in this same Abuja that Nigeria hosted the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. And then, some people are saying that it was wrong to have hosted the British Prime Minister in Lagos and that it amounts to violation of Nigeria’s sovereignty. The truth of the matter is that the British PM was in Nigeria on a working visit, it was a distinct visit. Diplomats will tell you that there is distinction between a state visit and a working visit.
“And that working visit was targeted mostly at meeting with the business community and where is the business community principally domiciled if not in the country’s major commercial centre, which is Lagos?
“Secondly, the Prime Minister had been scheduled to give a lecture at the Pan African University in Lagos and this was well reported. So, Mr President’s going to Lagos to receive him, I don’t see how it amounts to violation of sovereignty.
“The meeting was held in State House, Marina and it is government premises. It wasn’t as if he was received in a hotel and Lagos is a part of Nigeria and the President can meet with anybody in any part of Nigeria. I just thought this should be clarified”, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity stated.
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