14 million out-of-school children may become Boko Haram recruits, says Obasanjo

Nigeria’s former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has said that the 14 million out-of-school children might become recruits of the Boko Haram group in the nearest future.

Obasanjo said this while speaking with participants at the presidential youth membership retreat, held on Thursday, at the Youth Development Centre of OOPL, Abeokuta.

He hinted that the insecurity challenges battling the country might become worse if the number of school dropouts kept increasing by the day.

“A situation today where we have 14 million children that should be in school that are not in school, does anybody need to be an oracle to tell that 10 years or 15 years from now, those will be where you will recruit pure Boko Haram.

“So, if you deal with Boko Haram by stick today in few years time the situation will be worst because we are talking about security, it will be worst. So, if we are talking of insecurity, where should we begin? if we are talking of poverty where should we begin? It is education.

” Somebody said if everybody is educated who will be a servant and I said if everybody is educated then we will get a better servant than you should have gotten from those that are not educated,” the former president added.

He further submitted that the unity of the country remained sacrosanct, hence his resolve to promote peace and unity of Nigeria till he breathed his last.

He said “If I was a Yoruba leader I would not have succeeded as I succeeded for Nigeria, I might have succeeded for the Yorubas. Your brother from South East is right, I believed that every Nigerian is more respected in the committee of nations if Nigeria remains.

“Don’t let us deceive ourselves, will people still respect us because of our population, 200 million people, you cannot just waste them, even when I go out, people will say you Nigerians are not at the table and that is true, we are not at the table when we should be at the table.

“I have no regret for fighting for the unity of Nigeria and if it comes up tomorrow that it should be done and I have the ability to do it, I will do what I have to do. I believed that the last thing is not in our fighting for the unity of this country is in subsequent leadership that we have.”