HERDSMEN AND BOKO HARAM WANT TO ISLAMIZE NIGERIA
Obasanjo says herdsmen and Boko Haram want to Islamise Nigeria, Africa
Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has shared his thoughts about the activities of Boko Haram and herdsmen in Nigeria and Africa.
Obasanjo while speaking at the second session of the Seventh Synod of the Anglican Communion, Oleh Diocese, in the Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, on Saturday, May 18, 2019, said Boko Haram has grown beyond what Nigeria alone can tackle alone.
He said, “It is no longer an issue of a lack of education and employment for our youths in Nigeria which it began as, it is now West African Fulanisation, African islamisation and global organised crimes of human trafficking, money laundering, drug trafficking, gun trafficking, illegal mining and regime change.”
The former Head of State who delivered a paper titled: ‘Mobilising Nigeria’s Human and Natural Resources for National Development and Stability’ said, “Every issue of insecurity must be taken seriously at all levels and addressed at once without favouritism or cuddling. Both Boko Haram and herdsmen acts of violence were not treated as they should at the beginning.
“They have both incubated and developed beyond what Nigeria can handle alone. They are now combined and internationalised with ISIS in control.
Obasanjo also said that Boko Haram activities could have been checked earlier, but the government thought of the insurgents as rascals not requiring any serious attention.
He added that the poor condition under which the military operates also make it difficult to for them to defeat Boko Haram.
He said, “We could have dealt with both earlier and nip them in the bud, but Boko Haram boys were seen as rascals not requiring any serious attention in administering holistic measures of stick and carrot. And when we woke up to the reality, it was turned to industry for all and sundry to supply materials and equipment that were already outdated and that were not fit for active military purpose.
“Soldiers were poorly trained for the unusual mission, poorly equipped, poorly motivated, poorly led and made to engage in propaganda rather than achieving results. Intelligence was poor and governments embarked on games of denials while paying ransoms which strengthened the insurgents and yet governments denied payment of ransoms. Today, the security issue has gone beyond the wit and capacity of Nigerian government or even West African governments.”
Earlier in January, former President, in a statement which he issued to newsmen on Sunday, January 20, 2019, said Nigerians deserve more than Buhari can offer.
According to him, Nigeria needs a man that is physically fit, mentally sound and has an active intellect as a leader.
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