He equally assured Nigerians and the international community that activities of terrorists would soon be a thing of the past.
His commitment to stamp out terrorism came on the heels of a similar pledge made by the World Economic Forum (WEF) to go ahead with plans for its Africa summit scheduled to take place in Abuja next month despite the bomb attack on the Nyanya bus park that killed 75 people.
Jonathan, who spoke at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) unity rally in Kano State yesterday, once again conveyed his condolences to the families of bomb blast victims from the Nyanya attack.
At the rally, former Governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau, who had defected from the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), was formally received into the PDP fold.
According to the president, the main aim of any terror group is to cripple governance, but insisted that the terrorists had failed, as his administration would not succumb to terror.
“Let me emphasise that terror will not stop Nigeria from moving. The terrorists and those sponsoring them will not stop this country from moving.
“This country will continue to move from strength to strength. We will continue to do our best to make sure we live peacefully in this country,” Jonathan said.
The president described Shekarau as a good man and a man of the people, urging party members to continue to support, project and follow him.
“Shekarau is a man of the people, a man Kano people should follow, a true Nigerian. I thank Shekarau for joining the PDP today and he is fully welcome,” the president added.
In his remarks, Shekarau said the unity rally organised to welcome him to PDP was “an occasion for democracy and an occasion for choice”.
He told the president that the return of key former members of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and later APC was to show solidarity and loyalty to his government, promising to continue to be loyal to the party and his administration.
“Mr. President, I wish to pledge my commitment and that of other members who made the choice to join the PDP with me,” Shekarau said.
He pledged his commitment to work with the president in order to realise the objectives of the PDP.
He thanked Jonathan for the various federal projects that had been completed and were ongoing in Kano State.
He said he would continue to re-dedicate his life to the service of the people, just as he urged Jonathan to do more for the people of Kano by way of empowerment, especially by boosting agriculture.
Meanwhile, WEF yesterday said its Africa summit would be held in Abuja next month despite a bomb attack on the outskirts of the city that killed scores of people.
The bombing blamed on Boko Haram terrorists targeted morning commuters at the Nyanya bus terminal, south of the city-centre and was the deadliest attack ever in Abuja.
“These tragic events will not stop us from delivering on our promise to host a world-class meeting next month,” the forum said in a statement that was quoted by AFP.
Abuja has hosted a number a high-profile international events, including West African and African Union summits, but the WEF conference has been described as the most prestigious meet to come to the nation’s capital.
The forum said it was putting in place unprecedented security measures to protect delegates in Abuja.
“Our security planning for the World Economic Forum on Africa is already well under way and will be the largest security operation ever mounted in this country for an international summit,” the body said in the statement.
“In total, over six thousand security personnel, consisting of police and army will be deployed, covering a secure area of 250 square kilometres,” it added.รข€¨
The Nigeria police have beefed up security across the capital following Monday’s attack and have pledged to intensify surveillance at all “vulnerable targets”.
The summit is set to be held at a number of hotels and venues in heavily-guarded central Abuja from May 7 to May 9.
Also, the federal government yesterday reassured Nigerians and the international community that Monday's act of terrorism in Nyanya, would not cast a spell on the forthcoming WEF in Abuja.
In a joint statement by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who is the Co-Chair, WEFA Nigeria 2014 Steering Committee and Dr. Nwanze Okidegbe, Chief Economic Adviser to the President and Co-Chair, WEFA Nigeria 2014 Steering Committee, the federal government stated that security agencies were currently in the middle of a thorough and robust investigation to ensure perpetrators of the blast are brought to justice.
It said adequate security planning had begun, adding: “As a matter of routine, we constantly review these arrangements to ensure their suitability against any potential threat.”
It added that the tragic terrorist event would not stop the country from delivering on its promise to host a world-class meeting next month.
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