Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said the Boko Haram insurgency was not originally driven by political or religious motives but by the pursuit of a better life, adding that Nigeria’s failure to understand and address this root cause has allowed the menace to persist.
Obasanjo made the remarks in Abuja while delivering his address as Chairman at the public presentation of a book titled “Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum”, authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (rtd.)
According to the former President, his interactions and findings on the group revealed that the insurgents’ motivation was largely socio-economic rather than ideological.
“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.
He questioned whether Nigeria had truly understood the insurgency and taken the right steps to resolve it, noting that after fifteen years, Boko Haram has become an unfortunate part of national life.
“Have we understood that? If we have, have we taken the steps that we should take? If we have, why is Boko Haram, after fifteen years, virtually becoming part of our life? Should we accept that? If we should not, what should we do? How much do we know?” he asked.
Obasanjo also criticised the nation’s reactive approach to insecurity, stressing the need for deeper introspection and strategic planning to prevent the crisis from becoming a permanent national burden.
“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 event was attended by several dignitaries, including former President Goodluck Jonathan; President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Bagudu; the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar; and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, among others.
