Security personnel at the scene of Nyanya explosion in Abuja, last Friday

President Goodluck Jonathan has denied that the Federal Government was negotiating with the Boko Haram insurgents on the release of the 276 female students of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, even as he said that there was no indication so far that the girls have been hurt.
He stated this during the presidential media chat yesterday evening in Abuja.
He pleaded for the support of the parents and guardians of the girls in the various efforts being made to secure their release.
“We need every information, their pictures, names and any other details that we can get to put this incident behind us. We are trying our best and appreciate the concern of Nigerians over the situation in the country”, Jonathan stated.
President Jonathan narrated the efforts of the government through the deployment of Military, Airforce, Police and other security agencies in the search for the girls and reaffirmed the determination of the government to rescue the kidnapped students.
The president who noted that the nation and the world was passing through a trying period, said that due to the vantage position of the country, groups that wish to attack the black race would make Nigeria their target.
“In population and economy, Nigeria is the centre of Africa. So any group of people who wish to attack the black race will attack Nigeria”, the president said.
He described the bombing of Nyanya in Abuja and other parts of the North as quite worrisome and called for needed information from members of the public to assist government in its bid to win the battle against insurgency.
Jonathan who noted that the approach adopted by the Boko Haram was quite different from that of the then Niger Delta militants  in the sense that the militants made themselves available to the government for negotiations.
On the declaration of full state of emergency in the three Northern States, the president expressed worry that Nigerians have different understanding of State of Emergency.
According to him some Nigerians were more concerned with the effect of the step on the democratic or political structures as against the ultimate goal of the strategy.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has allayed the fear of Nigerians of possible increase of official pump price of Petroleum products.
President Goodluck Jonathan while answering question during the presidential Media Chat yesterday in Abuja exonerated government’s involvement in the discrepancy in the sale of Petrol in the country by oil marketers who are in the habit of manipulating the pump price.
Describing the acts as tantamount to stealing, Jonathan stated that he would set up a committee to investigate the allegation of meter manipulation in the nation.
“I’ll not change pump price. The law said you have to announce and gazzatte it before you change the official pump price. But I have no plan to change pump price “he said.
He particularly called on DPR which is the agency responsible for the monitoring of pump price to rise up to the challenges.
Commenting on the epileptic power supply across the nation, he solicited for the patience of the citizens for the generating (GENCOS) and distributing (DISCOS) companies in the country to grow.
He said the nation was not moving as fast as needed but assured that the step taken to privatise the sector would boost socio-economic development.
Jonathan who described stability of power as the nation’s greatest challenge mentioned absence of metre and gas supply as the new challenges confronting the new investors in the power sector.
Speaking on the World Economic Forum, the President said it was aimed at opening interactions between Nigerians, the government and foreign businessmen in its bid to foster the nation’s economic frontiers in all spheres of economic endeavours.
Chris Oluoh