Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has offered his assessment of the Boko Haram insurgency, suggesting that the group’s emergence is rooted less in political or religious motives than in the pursuit of improved living conditions.
He made the remarks on Friday while chairing the launch of Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (rtd.), in Abuja.
“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,” Obasanjo said.
The former two-term civilian president questioned the adequacy of Nigeria’s response to the insurgency over the past fifteen years.
“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 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 also raised concerns about the nation’s proactiveness and unity in confronting the insurgency. “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 book launch attracted several prominent Nigerians, including former President Goodluck Jonathan; President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Bagudu; Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar; and Catholic Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah.
