Jonathan Pens Article In Washington Post, Explains Silence On Missing Schoolgirls

Source: thewillnigeria.com

… Says Nothing is more important than bringing home the missing girls

BEVERLY HILLS, CA, June 27, (THEWILL) -
In what appears to be a new communications strategy targeting influential leaders and policy makers in the West, the influential United States newspaper, the Washington Post Friday published an opinion piece written by President Goodluck Jonathan, where he addressed his supposed 'silence' on the missing Chibok schoolgirls who were forcefully seized from their hostels by members of the terrorist group Boko Haram in April.

As previously reported on THEWILL, the President a few days ago engaged the services of a Washington DC based PR firm and lobbyist, Levick, to help manage the foreign press and change the negative narrative on the abducted schoolgirls. Levick was recruited for over $1.2 million USD.

The full text of President Jonathan's opinion article is reproduced below:

'Nothing is more important than bringing home Nigeria's missing girls

I have had to remain quiet about the continuing efforts by Nigeria's military, police and investigators to find the girls kidnapped in April from the town of Chibok by the terrorist group Boko Haram. I am deeply concerned, however, that my silence as we work to accomplish the task at hand is being misused by partisan critics to suggest inaction or even weakness.

My silence has been necessary to avoid compromising the details of our investigation. But let me state this unequivocally: My government and our security and intelligence services have spared no resources, have not stopped and will not stop until the girls are returned home and the thugs who took them are brought to justice. On my orders, our forces have aggressively sought these killers in the forests of northern Borno state, where they are based. They are fully committed to defending the integrity of their country.

My heart aches for the missing children and their families. I am a parent myself, and I know how awfully this must hurt. Nothing is more important to me than finding and rescuing our girls.

Since 2010, thousands of people have been killed, injured, abducted or forced by Boko Haram, which seeks to overwhelm the country and impose its ideology on all Nigerians. My government is determined to make that impossible. We will not succumb to the will of terrorists.

The abduction of our children cannot be seen as an isolated event. Terrorism knows no borders. This month, Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Britain and the United States established an External Intelligence Response Unit to share security information on such threats in West Africa. I propose that we build on this step to establish an enduring, worldwide commitment to destroying terrorism and those who finance or give safe haven to the terrorists.'