Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says Nigeria’s long fight against Boko Haram and other armed groups has turned into a money-making business for different people in and out of government.
The former Head of State stated that the problem has lasted too long, even longer than the country’s 30-month civil war, despite huge spending on defense.
Obasanjo criticized current leaders for not using the right tools to fight the terrorists. The elder statesman says Nigeria still relies on old-fashioned military methods that don’t work against groups hiding among regular people.
“The military is trained for conventional war. If the people you are dealing with are fleeing targets or living among your people, you will need different types of training,” he explained.
The former President suggested Nigeria should look at countries like Colombia for help and training, saying, “There is no shame in that.”
The influential figure hinted that some people benefit from the war continuing. He called the entire situation an “industry.” “The whole thing is an industry. It is an industry,” Obasanjo declared.
He stressed that Nigeria needs better training, strong intelligence (knowing what the enemy is doing), and modern technology to win.
Obasanjo warned that foreign countries won’t help if they can’t trust the security officials due to secrets being leaked. He also revealed that in 2011, Boko Haram once agreed to stop fighting for 21 days to talk, but the government failed to respond.
