President Goodluck Jonathan has linked the recent successes recorded by the military in the war against insurgency in the North East on the arrival of highly anticipated military equipment expected to boost the capacity of the armed forces. Jonathan, who spoke at the youth interactive forum tagged #MeetThePresident which held at Eko Hotel, Lagos, also distanced the recent successes in the war from the politics of electioneering.
He explained that his recent visits to Baga, Mubi and other parts of North Eastern states were not as a result of the imminent elections, but based on the need to visit and assess the level of performance of the armed forces, their receipt of new weapons and to ascertain the progress made in reclaiming territories formerly occupied by Boko Haram.
The youths, comprising over 200 young Nigerian professionals, businessmen and entrepreneurs, engaged the president on several pertinent issues around the elections, economy and security. When asked about the use of foreign vehicles in his convoy, despite the new high taxations on importations of cars, the president assured Nigerian youths that once the indigenous auto industry develops and are producing, his government would fully be committed to returning to the use of Nigerian built cars, just as they did in the times of Peugeot.
The president promised amongst others to engage more youths in his next administration if elected, making reference to the likes of General Yakubu Gowon who became head of state at the age of 33 and former governor of old Rivers State, Diette-Spiff, who was governor of the state in his late twenties.
