Lingering Boko Haram fight worrisome – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed deep concern that Nigeria’s 15-year battle against Boko Haram has dragged on far longer than the 30-month civil war, warning that the country’s approach to insecurity is outdated and inadequate.

Obasanjo, who spoke on Sunday during a virtual appearance on the Toyin Falola Interviews, said the persistence of insurgency, banditry and other violent crimes shows that Nigeria’s military remains structured for “conventional warfare,” rather than the asymmetric and guerrilla-style threats destabilising the country.

Sunday’s session featured Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah and former CBN Deputy Governor, Dr. Kingsley Moghalu, as panellists.

According to Obasanjo, the continued longevity of the insurgency should trouble every Nigerian.

“The civil war lasted 30 months. This fight against insurgency and criminals has lasted almost 15 years. That should worry anybody,” he said.

The former president recalled visiting Maiduguri in 2011 to understand the origins of Boko Haram and revealed that the group’s early leaders signalled readiness for dialogue but the government failed to act.

“I reported back that they were ready to talk, that they agreed to a 21-day ceasefire for government to reach out. Government never reached out,” he noted.

Obasanjo argued that Nigeria urgently needs specialised foreign military training, enhanced intelligence gathering and modern technology to combat the evolving threats.

“Training is key. What the military is trained for is conventional war. But the people we are dealing with now are fleeting targets or live among the people. Countries like Colombia have handled this well. Should we invite teams to train our people? There is no shame in that,” he said.

He warned that inadequate equipment, weak intelligence and internal sabotage continue to undermine security efforts. Recalling his handling of the Niger Delta crisis, he said military operations were sometimes compromised from within.

“Our helicopters’ movements were being leaked as we were taking off. We had to deal with such people within the force,” he said.

Obasanjo criticised the habit of throwing money at unrest instead of addressing structural grievances, narrating how a Niger Delta militant confessed joining armed groups out of joblessness despite holding a chemical engineering degree.

He emphasised that security must be treated strictly as a national priority and urged Nigeria to seek global support where necessary.

“If we are incapable, let us ask the global community. The global community has an interest in our peaceful existence,” he said.

The former president also addressed Africa’s geopolitics, extensively analysing the internal and historical roots of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s instability. He argued that Congo’s problems long predate conflicts with Rwanda and cannot be resolved without internal reforms.

Obasanjo recalled his involvement in UN peacekeeping in 1960 and later as UN Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region, noting that many of the issues confronting Congo today are the same as those he encountered decades ago.

He criticised Congo’s governance structure, lack of a functional military, and the intense foreign scramble for its strategic minerals, warning that external intervention cannot substitute for national leadership.

“The problem of Congo is majorly internal. Unless Congo solves its internal problems, the eyes of the international community will remain there,” he said.

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