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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed his discussion with leaders of the Boko Haram terrorist group in the Northeast during the group’s early days of insurgency.
He disclosed their conversation at the launch of a book titled, ‘Pillars of Statecraft: Nation-building in a changing world’ authored by his daughter, Dr. Kofo Obasanjo-Blackshire, at an event in Lagos.
Responding to a question by a member of the audience on why government policies had become more political than people-centered in recent times, Obasanjo noted that Nigeria’s problem is looking for who to blame for its problems.
He disclosed that in the early days of the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast, he was told by the founders of the terrorist group that poverty and unemployment drove them into crime.
He called for the urgent tackling of the country’s over 20 million out-of-school children, warning that if nothing is done, it will become a breeding ground for more ‘Boko Haram members of the future.’
He stated, “During the early days of Boko Haram, when the man who started the movement was said to have been killed, I said I wanted to meet with the members of the group to talk to them and know what they wanted.
“I met with their representatives and found out that they needed nothing but a better life for themselves. Can we blame them for wanting a better life for themselves?
“They said they believed in Sharia Law. I told them that Sharia was not a problem in Nigeria. It is part of our constitution.”
The former President said many of the members of the insurgent group had no jobs despite going to school to attain a degree.
He added, “Do we blame them if after four years, they have no jobs? Are they not entitled to a livelihood? This boils down to one of the P’s of nation-building – politics – which talks about governance and leadership.
“If that (leadership) is not properly taken care of, every other thing will go haywire.”
He added, “We must ask, ‘What do we do with our people? How do we raise and value them? How do we value them?’
“We have over 20 million out-of-school children. Google how many countries in the world have less than 20m. That doesn’t worry us? Are you thinking there will be no Boko Haram tomorrow?
“Those are the foundations of your Boko Haram tomorrow. That should be our concern. We should not say it is externally induced. Is poverty also externally induced? Poverty is the conscious, unconscious choice of our leaders. If we say no; it would be no. If we say yes; it would be yes.”
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