H.E. Mr. Felix Yusufu Pwol:

It is important to understand the background. The Nigerian Government has had a very difficult situation to deal with. As a democratic government, the initial response was to seek to engage in dialogue. However, the group refused to talk and continued to kill innocent people. Even to declare a state of emergency was a very difficult decision. There was a meeting of major stakeholders, the state governments, community leaders and legislators, at which all factors were considered. These measures were taken in line with the Nigerian constitution because the Nigerian Government felt it could not stand by in the name of democracy and human rights when innocent people were being killed. The offer of dialogue is still being ignored. One must, therefore, understand the background to some of these issues.

The Nigerian Government has a committee in place that is willing at any time to discuss any issue the group wants to discuss. There are so many channels for it to air its grievances. The press is one of the freest in Africa and the world. Nigeria comprises 36 states, with 36 individual legislative arms. We have a Senate with 109 Members and a House of Representatives with 360 Members. There is a human rights commission, as well as a public complaints commission. If people cannot utilise all of these channels and prefer to use violence, one can understand the dilemma. Is one going to leave innocent people to be attacked, killed or maimed? These are some of the challenges we want people to see and actually appreciate the magnitude of what we are going through.