Borno state governor elect offered amnesty to Boko haram

THE governor elect
of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim
Shettima has offered to grant
Amnesty to members of Boko
Haram provided they lay down
their arms and negotiate with
the state government on the
restoration of “peace and unity”
to all parts of the state.
Speaking in his first post-election
interview, the govrnor-elect said:
“ The victory of ANPP at Tuesday’s
polls was not only for me as a
person and candidate of the
party, but to all stakeholders and
opposition parties that fully
participated in the gubernatorial
elections conducted by
Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC).
“The challenging tasks before me
and the entire party machinery of
the ruling and opposition parties
are to first address the insecurity
to lives and property in the state.
Insecurity to lives and property
has threatened the state
government machinery and its
citizens from addressing poverty,
unemployment and the
reactivation of closed down
industries, including the endless
power outages of Power Holding
Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
That could be addressed by
reactivating the Marte Chad Basic
Development Authority power
stations to generate 30
megawatts for Borno state. ”
He said if the Umaru Yar’Adua
administration could address the
problems of militants in the
Niger-Delta oil rich Region, his
own administration would
within the first 100 days in
office, hold discussion with Boko
Haram on granting its members
amnesty.
“As soon as the administration is
inaugurated on May 29, 2011,
we will sit down at a roundtable
with the Boko Haram leaders on
how its members could lay down
their arms and move the state
forward by restoring peace, unity
and the protection of all lives and
property in Borno state, ” he said
The amnesty, according to the
governor elect, would enable the
sect members return home and
live with their family members
and relations and move the state
forward with improved security
to lives and property.