Jonathan urges speedy passage of PIB

• Cautions against politicization of Chibok girls’ abduction

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has cautioned the opposition, especially the Bring Back Our Girls Campaigners, to refrain from politics and join hands with the Federal Government to facilitate the unconditional release of the Chibok girls abducted by the insurgents some months ago.

The President has also called on the insurgents and their collaborators to lay down their arms and embrace peace in the interest of the nation.

In an address in Abuja at the opening of the National Conference on Environmental Security, Awareness and Enforcement in Nigeria organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Environment yesterday, President Jonathan restated the government’s determination to fight the Ebola disease and ensure release of the abducted girls. He urged the National Assembly to quickly pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

Represented by the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurentia Mallam, at the occasion, the president called on members of the opposition to stop what he described as “politicization of the abduction saga” and join hands with the government to solve the problem.

“I believe that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together. We will not be safe if we see national security as a wedge that divides us— it can and must be a cause that unites us as one people and as a nation. We’ve done so before in times that were more perilous than ours and we just did so against Ebola.

“I also do not think that we have shown enough commitment as citizens to environmental and security issues. While we still contend with natural, ecological problems like ocean surge, gully erosion and desertification, we are still plagued by disasters that could have been averted if we had broadened the circle of those who are willing to stand up for our future.

“Certain terrorist actions could have been averted or mitigated if we had paid adequate attention to environmental security or taken out time to report suspicious behaviors and suspicious persons to relevant authorities and follow up such report to logical conclusion.

“Terrorists can only succeed if they swell their ranks and divide us, and they will never be able to do that if we stay true to who we are,” he said.

While calling on the insurgents and their collaborators to lay down their arms and embrace peace, the President also commended the military, especially those engaged in the fight against insurgency, for the extraordinary sacrifices they are making for the sake of the nation and the future.

“This moment demands that the insurgent lay down their arms; it demands the unconditional release of our abducted Chibok girls. I agree with the Bring Back our Girls campaigners, especially for piling up pressure on us on the issue. But let me be blunt, there are no neat or easy answers to bringing back the girls. I wish there were. But I can tell you that the wrong answer is to pretend that this problem will go away if we maintain an unsustainable status quo and silence.

Urging the National Assembly to facilitate speedy passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill to address the problem of pollution, President Jonathan stressed that the legislation will resolve all the environmental issues as they affect oil exploration in the country.

Also speaking during the occasion, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, expressed the readiness of the National Assembly to collaborate with stakeholders to come up with legislations that will give the country a safer environment. He assured that the parliament will also rely on the outcome of the conference as a guide for the country’s future legislation on environmental issues.

Earlier in a welcome address, the Chairman, House Committee on Environment, Uche Ekwunife, disclosed that the conference was designed to provide the platform for a multi-sector initiative that will enhance environmental security and awareness, motivate policy changes in government as well as establish partnership with organisations capable of spreading the message.

“The current challenges thrown up in our nation are such that if we do not take full charge of our environment, sooner than later, we might begin to experience environmental crisis in so many ways,” she warned.