Senate President, David Mark
From: Diana Okon-Effiong, Ikom
Senate President, David Mark, has restated the Federal Government’s resolve in fighting insurgency, internal security challenges and blackmail, saying that government will not negotiate with criminals.
Mark, stated this in Ikom at an empowerment programme organised by Senate leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba for his constituents in the Cross River Central Senatorial District.
According the senate president the federal government has the resources to deal with insurgency criminals and those blackmailing the federal government.
He said: “Anytime I have an opportunity in recent times to make a comment, I take pains to say something very important. This government will not yield to blackmail.
“This government cannot negotiate with criminals and this government will not exchange people for criminals; a criminal will be treated like a criminal.
“And this government will at no distant time bring the issue of Boko Haram and insecurity in the northern part of this country to a long term and logical conclusion. We will mobilise all resources.
“If people declare war on us we will also declare war on them. If Boko Haram and their supporters are not ready for peace we will be glad to deal with them in a manner that people deal with terrorists and insurgents. It is not by negotiation.
He said he was glad about the cordial relationship existing between Ndoma-Egba and Gov. Liyel Imoke of Cross River adding that the senate leader had attracted meaningful, sustainable development and empowerment programme.
He said that if Ndoma-Egba is re-elected for another term at the senate he would no doubt attract more of such empowerment programmes to Cross River as attested to by Imoke at the occasion.
“I have not come here for campaign. We are here to support Ndoma-Egba. There are two persons who make the senate, a very important institution in our democracy, very stable – the Deputy President and the Leader of the Senate.
Earlier, Imoke had urged legislators from the state “toengage in meaningful and sustainable empowerment and give account of themselves’’.
“This is what the senate leader has done today. We want to see sustainable empowerment; he has made us proud at the national assembly,’’ he said.
He also urged Nigerians “to continue to our leaders all the support the need to succeed, to avoid distraction in their resolve to deliver on their mandate’’, adding that those who received the empowerment should also empower others.
Ndoma-Egba said the empowerment programme was the fifth major empowerment this year in the health, education and in the agricultural sectors in his constituency.
“We have been giving out cars before now, today we are giving out 50 cars, a number of oil mills, a number of corn mills, video viewing centres we have done our scholarship for last year and we are doing more this year,’’ he said.
He urged those yet to benefit from the empowerment programme to be patient because their turn would certainly come `for the rain to fall on you’’.
Also speaking, the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, said the party was happy that its representatives had been “building structures that promote the well-being of our people and democracy’’
“Though these we keep democracy alive. We should continue to empower people, promote goodwill and support government,’’ Mu’azu, represented by Dr Steve Oru, PDP Chairman, outh South said.
Those who attended the occasion included, deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, and the Chairman of PDP in Cross River, Ntufam John Okon.
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