PM NEWS
Published on July 11, 2012
Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, president of Nigeria’s Christian Association of Nigeria called Tuesday on the United States to declare the Islamist group Boko Haram to be terrorists, but a US official said it was more important to address social inequalities.
In an unusually blunt appeal by a foreigner before the US Congress in Washington D.C, the head of the main Christian body in religiously divided
Nigeria said that a decision to blacklist three Boko Haram leaders as terrorists did not go far enough. Oritsejafor said that the US move on June 21 was “the equivalent of designating (Osama) bin Laden a terrorist but failing to designate Al-Qaeda a terrorist organization.”
Oritsejafor said that the reluctance to brand Boko Haram as terrorists had emboldened the group, which is estimated to have killed more than 1,000 people since mid-2009 in attacks on Christian and government sites. “By refusing to designate Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organization, the
United States is sending a very clear message, not just to the federal government of Nigeria, but to the world that the murder of innocent Christians and Muslims who reject Islamism — and I make a clear distinction here between Islam and Islamism — are acceptable losses,” Oritsejafor said.
“It is hypocritical for the United States and the international community to say that they believe in freedom and equality when their actions do not support those who are being persecuted,” he told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Oritsejafor said Boko Haram sought “an end to Western influence and a removal of the Christian presence in Nigeria,” telling the US lawmakers: “My people are dying every day.”
But Johnnie Carson, the assistant secretary of state for African affairs, told the hearing that Boko Haram was not homogeneous and that most of the group had the goal of trying to “embarrass or discredit” the government. A designation as a foreign terrorist organization would trigger a full US government response against Boko Haram, freezing any assets it holds in the United States and making support of the group a crime.
Carson said the terrorist designation made sense for the three leaders —Abubakar Shekau, Abubakar Adam Kambar and Khalid al-Barnawi — due to links to Al-Qaeda, but that it would be
counterproductive to target the entire movement. “It would serve to enhance their status,probably give them greater international notoriety amongst radical Islamic groups, probably lead to more recruiting and probably more assistance,” Carson said.
Carson called instead for a“sophisticated and comprehensive” strategy of improving governance in Nigeria’s largely Muslim north and curtailing human rights abuses. “Boko Haram thrives because of social and economic problems in the north that the government must find a way of addressing,” Carson said. “A coordinated government effort to provide responsible, accountable governance to all Nigerians, while creating opportunities for economic growth, will diminish the political space in which Boko Haram operates.”
Carson also sounded a note of caution on Boko Haram’s reach, saying that some Nigerian officials have taken to blaming the group for all incidents in the region that are the work of “criminals and political thugs.”
Several lawmakers of the rival Republican Party have criticized President Barack Obama’s administration for not blacklisting Boko Haram. Representative Chris Smith, who chaired the hearing, said that Boko Haram had a goal of imposing Islamic sharia law. He questioned the reluctance in targeting “an organization that is claiming responsibility for horrific acts of violence which appears to have at its core a radical Islamic position.”
Beegeagle's Blog 
Fellow nigerians, I have said this repeatedly, going back several months now, WE MUST BE MINDFUL OF THE DAMAGE EX AMBASSADOR JOHNIE CARSON’S OPINION OF NIGERIA IS DOING TO THE COUNTRY AND OUR RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES.
The ambassador and his ilk feel righteous in their disdain for africa’s corrupt leadership. On that position, almost no one would have any quarrel with him.
It is this disdain, that informed president obama’s snubb of nigeria and other african power brokers. When he visited ghana after his inauguration.
The problem with this mainly african american elitist mindset, is that it is naively simplistic, and doesn’t appreciate the complexity of the relationship.
Corrupt and ineffective our leaders may be, but for the US to relate to nigeria only as a disappointed scolding parent, would be counter productive. If their interests in nigeria as so based on righteous ideals, they should divest their stake in nigeria’s corrupt, polluting crude oil industry. But of course they would never do that.
Obama and Johnny Carson, didn’t see fit to snub saudi arabia or egypt or suspend any crucial aid or defense arrangements in those countries, because while they disagree with much of what happens in the said countries, they also recognize the complexity of the relationship.
It is this nuance that they are simply unwilling to display with nigeria. Even their righteous indignation of nigeria’s corruption, comes across as arrogance and disrespect.
As the CAN leader’s speech shows,nigerian christians are shocked at the lack of value the US policy is placing on their lives.
And whatever favor they think the US may be currying in islamic nigeria by their phony middle ground stance, would evaporate the next time a US soldier defaces a koran, mistakenly or not.
NO way let us continue to seek for help from the same ppl causing all the problem for us and let me tell you all why is it no Nigeria news is talking about th Russia getting ready for WW3 what the heck is wrong nigeria media,till it start then the will let ppl know of the true facts on world crisis.Now US generals are talking of CONSCRIPTION in the US army.NATO is sinking and the are raedy to take every one down with them
OMOH, naija dey burn. People are been slaughtered like chickens in jos. A beg lets keep these UNPROVEN CONSPIRACIES TO A MINIMUM.
When things stabilize, we can return and debate the merits of these issues of WW3 & US world domination.
You can opine as you like, but outlandish unproven claims made recklessly would definitely DECREASE THE CREDIBILITY OF THIS BLOG.
This is SURELY the most perfect analysis of any situation which I have read this month.
Are u kidding me are u serious @Doziex and why are they conspiracy i gave out an article for u all to read about the UN and the road to full world dominance spectrum read UN AGENDA 21 and see it is not a joke and why they hell do u think many private media investigators are are sending out alarm about the total take over with a one world goverment going around with such buzz,why have Americans armed theirselves to the teeth knowing what is coming,why is their doomsday prep,why are their concentration camps e.g fema camps,re-education camps being built all over why is their a spike in GMO crops that is fatal to human consumption why are people eating other people face,the list go on and on and we are still blinded in the same self denial becos of what?are that ignorant that we can’t c all this
WAKE UP NIGERIANS IF WE FALL AFRICA FALLS BACK TO SLAVERY MODE
@DOZIEX i am from plateau state and the cause of the situation in plateau state is more of a leadership campaign against the Berom ppl because they choose not to listen to other minorities in the state and if you watch lately the violence has been targeted to only them, do you know how many tribes are in jos north,east and west?why are the being the ones attacked only.if you look at statement from other minorities you will know that the beroms are part of the problem as the hold claims that the own JOS NORTH & SOUTH which is not so.
Yeah Benjy, the americans arming themselves to the teeth, are the same ones that call president Obama a muslim on the one hand, and a communist of the other. You are right about the increased paranoia in the US, in some of these communities.
These are same people that are expecting the UN to come in blackhawk helicopters and enslave the US. They are paranoid about the influence of the federal govt in their lives, by the same token, many of them live on govt welfare and govt health coverage.
These are the ignorant right wing nuts that shouted, ” The govt better not touch my medicare” , ignorant to the fact that their medicare is a federal govt funded program.
Also, from this family of conspiracy nuts, comes the birthers, who believe President Obama was born in kenya and not in hawaii. Despite the irrefutable evidence that Obama was born in the US state.
It goes on and on. They believe in their right to bear all kind of arms, above all reasonable limits. They are kinfolk to the NRA( national rifle association) lobby.
These groups fight against any attempt to curb the flood of dangerous weapons on US streets. In the mean time, the inner cities(minority neighborhoods) in the US are literally war zones, with an average of 40 youths killed in gun violence a week in the city of chicago.
The same excess US assault rifles cross into the hands of mexican drug cartels, and has led to a murder rate that surpasses even the deadly campaign of boko haram in nigeria. Google CIUDAD JUAREZ and see if you can keep your food down.
The blood of these gun violence victims are on the hands of these right wing conspiracy nuts the the US who year after year politically intimidate US officials from curbing their irresponsible love affair with guns.
It is this paranoia that led to WACO, THE TIM McCVEY BOMBING, and countless other violent acts in the US.
My brother, be careful who you are pitching your tent with.
@DOZIEX Hve u heard of operation FAST AND FURIOUS,NDAA,FEMA CAMPS?by the way we are argueing about america and a law that has govern them over the years tru their constitution,why is it being tampered with?why is it their is just two political parties and there is a whole shout of exporting demoncrazy all over the world with bombs and blood when do we realize the truth about western culture?how do we live and know that many are being killed by GREEDY BLOOD SUCKING DEMON?Now what do you think will happen if the new arms treaty is signed?bro wake up there is no self denial in these and i bet it will be messy.and b4 u continue debunking conspiracies that are happening b4 our own eyes and we still deny it then it is up to you but to all who will listen hell is about to be unleashed and if we like it or not it will touch us in anyway.i am a conspiracy theorist i agree but i will never look into a dead man’s eye again only when i know that i have to defend myself and my family.
Benjy, shebi na by force you dey live in the Land of Blood Sucking Demons?
Since the three of us al are yakee naija don’t egg him on benjy will be benjy .Oga doziex you have explained the situation more than adequately.
Oga Jimmy, you ‘re right. Oya, I surrender. (LOL)
Common guys it is natural we all share our minds and believe it will be better ahead.by the ways Dozie and jim which states are u guys in the US?
Georgia.