The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has condemned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for his comments, yesterday, on insecurity in the North-East, saying that some past utterances of Atiku contributed to the escalation of insurgency in the North.

Okupe stated this while speaking on the last day of PUBLIC AFFAIRS FORUM, a programme organised by his office to enable ministers give an account of stewardship to members of Civil Society Organisations, professional groups and artisans in Abuja.

While making reference to a statement that “those who make peaceful change impossible will make violent change inevitable” made by Alhaji Atiku at the Northern Stakeholders Forum in 2010, Okupe said it was unfortunate that those who desperately stoked the fire of insurgency are now laying the blame on the shoulders of a government that is working hard to put out the fire.

According to the Senior Special Assistant to the President, it is a mark of unpatriotism for Atiku to talk down on the military which he hopes to lead if elected President of the Federal Republic.

Okupe said the former Vice President was not known to have taken any hard position on terrorists and terrorism in the past and shouldn’t expect to gain any political mileage from the unfortunate killings and kidnappings in some parts of the North by presenting himself as being on the side of the victims of insurgency.

He advised the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant to learn from political leaders in other climes who drop the toga of partisanship in moments of national crisis by supporting their government to raise the hope of citizens and defeat enemies of civilisation.

Okupe said that President Goodluck Jonathan will not be distracted by negative comments from Atiku and a few others whose only concern is politics rather than nation building but he (Jonathan) will continue to work assiduously with security chiefs and community stakeholders to restore peace to Northern Nigeria in the shortest possible time.

•Photo shows Okupe.