Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed what he found out about the Boko Haram insurgents, and why the problem continues to persist years after the terrorist group’s major attack in the country.
The former President said this on Friday while giving remarks as the Chairman at the launch of ‘Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum’, a book by former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor (rtd.) in Abuja.
According to Obasanjo, the insurgent group came to be not because they were interested in political power or serious religious issues, but rather a better life.
“I found, yes, there was Boko Haram. I found they were not really aiming for anything political or anything seriously religious. But in short, they were looking for a better life. And any other thing attached to that is a better life for them,” he said.
Continuing, the former Nigerian head of state and two-term civilian president questioned steps taken by Nigeria as a nation in addressing the challenges, adding that if the country had taken the right steps, Boko Haram would not have been a part of its daily life.
“Have we understood that? If we have, have we taken the steps that we should take? If we have, why are we, after fifteen years, Boko Haram is not virtually becoming part of our life? Should we accept that? If we should not accept, what should we do? How much do we know?” He asked.
Obasanjo further questioned the country’s proactiveness, across the divides, in dealing with the insurgency problem, which he said is becoming a monster within the country.
“I think we have to ask ourselves the necessary questions to be able to deal with this thing that is now becoming a monster within our country,” he added.
The event had in attendance other prominent Nigerians, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by Minister of Defense, Abubakar Bagudu; Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar; Bishop Hassan Kukah, among others.
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