Residents of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, were barely allowed to move on major streets of the town as the campaign train of President Goodluck Jonathan takes reaches in the town on Saturday.
Speaking at Ramat Square, where the campaign rally held, the President, who is seeking re-election, assured the people that everything would be done to end the Boko Haram crisis and commence the process of rebuilding the towns that had been destroyed by the insurgents in the state.
The president equally promised that the rehabilitation of the victims of the insurgents would begin, stressing that the destroyed schools and communities would be rebuilt, saying concerned agencies would be made to be involved in the rebuilding exercise.
He said with the vast land and the population of Borno State, “it can feed the whole of this country.”
He added, “Borno State can support the Federal Government in so many ways, but many people do not want to come to Borno State, because to do this, one may suffer because of the common enemy of the whole of the people of Nigeria.
“I am promising the whole of you that we shall surely end this insurgency. We will surely stop Boko Haram and we shall return Borno to the path of peace.
“Whatever it takes to do this and to ensure the return of the Chibok girls, we will do. We will surely conquer Boko Haram. We will surely return this state to the peaceful state we knew.”
He expressed sadness at by the insinuations that the government sponsored insurgency for political reasons, arguing that there was no where in the world and no leader for whatever reason, that would allow insecurity in his own country.
He however admitted that the low turnout at the campaign ground was as a result of the security measures that were put in place.
Jonathan said, “I was made to understand that some of you had to trek up to five kilometres to get here.
“This is necessary because of the security situation we found ourselves; we have to take every necessary precaution.”
Among the prominent speakers at the campaign rally was the former Borno State governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.
Sheriff said, “If there is free and fair election in Borno State, Mr. President, I can assure you that Shettima cannot score 30 per cent of the votes cast. I must also assure you that the whole of Borno is for you if we are going to conduct free and fair election.
“Our enemies are not from outside but the enemies within.”