Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed concern that Nigeria’s insecurity crisis has worsened to the point where Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, and kidnapping have become intertwined, making the situation harder to resolve.
Speaking on Friday in Abuja as Chairman at the launch of “Scars: Nigeria’s Journey So Far and the Boko Haram Conundrum”, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor (rtd.), Obasanjo explained that Boko Haram did not originally emerge with strong political or religious ambitions, but largely out of a desire for a better life.
He recalled his early findings about the group:
“I found, yes, there was Boko Haram. I found they were not really aiming for anything political or 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.
The former head of state questioned whether Nigeria had taken the right steps in tackling insurgency, stressing that if proper measures had been adopted, Boko Haram would not have become an entrenched part of the country’s daily reality.
“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, finding Boko Haram virtually becoming part of our life? Should we accept that? If not, what should we do?” Obasanjo asked.
He further warned that the security crisis was turning into a monster, urging a deeper national interrogation of the past to identify mistakes that continue to destabilize the present.
While commending Irabor for the courage to document Nigeria’s experience, Obasanjo urged others— including those with insider knowledge or even former insurgent sympathizers— to also speak out in order to help the nation find lasting solutions.
“We don’t even know where Boko Haram stops and banditry starts, and kidnapping begins. They are all mixed together. We can’t go on this way. Something must be done,” he emphasized.
The book launch was attended by several prominent figures, including former President Goodluck Jonathan; President Bola Tinubu, represented by Minister of Defense, Abubakar Bagudu; the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar; and Bishop Hassan Kukah, among others.
Source:Africa Publicity
