By FESTUS AHON

UGHELLI – NATIONAL President of Islamic Community in the Niger Delta, Malam Yusuf Eregbene, has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to take a drastic step towards tackling the security challenges in the country.

The group also enjoined the President to take a critical look at the comments of the National Security Adviser, General Owoye Azazi (rtd) on the security challenges, during the second South-South Summit in Asaba, blaming the upsurge of bombings on the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP.

Eregbene, in a statement, yesterday, said rather than criticising Azazi’s comment, Jonathan and the PDP leadership should work out ways to address the issues raised, describing Azazi as a bold and courageous man.

Asking Jonathan not to listen to side comments, he urged him to meet with selected leaders of the party and Azazi with a view to addressing the grey areas in his comments, even as he stressed the need for urgent steps to be taken towards addressing the security challenges facing the country.

According to him, some northerners were determined to frustrate the President Jonathan’s administration, since they were not allowed to continue in office after the demise of Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua so as to complete their (northerners’) eight years in office as President of the country.

Noting that some northerners vowed in 2011 to make the country ungovernable for President  Jonathan should he emerge winner of the presidential election, he said the Northern Elders’ Forum led by Adamu Ciroma was put in place to actualize the northern agenda.

Eregbene told President  Jonathan and the PDP leadership not to undermine issues of national security, adding that Adamu Ciroma and Gen Muhamadu Buhari, rtd, should have been interrogated in 2011 for their alleged inciting statements.

“We are thankful to Azazi for telling Nigerians the truth. There are clear indications that enemies were looking for loophole to destabilize his (Jonathan) government with the frank comment of Azazi on the country’s security situation.”