Obasanjo Reveals What Boko Haram Founders Told Him They Want During A Meeting

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed details of his meeting with Boko Haram leaders during the early days of insurgency in the North-East.

Obasanjo Reveals What Boko Haram Founders Told Him They Want During A Meeting

The group began their campaign of terror against the Nigerian state after the summary execution of its leader, Mohammed Yusuf, by the police in July 2009.

Subsequently, Obasanjo offered to mediate between the group and the Federal Government at the time in order to understand their grievances and possibly broker peace.

Recounting details of his meeting with the founders of the group, the former President said he was told that poverty and unemployment were responsible for the creation of the movement in the first place.

He stated this 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 on Friday, June 16, 2023.

He said:-

“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 elder statesman added that some of the insurgents told him that they remained unemployed despite going to school.

“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,” Obasanjo said.

The former President added that Nigerians should learn to face their own problem squarely rather than trying to hold others responsible for their misfortunes.

Obasanjo said:-

“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.”