By Muhammad Mamman
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged a holistic, whole-of-society approach to end Boko Haram insurgency and other security challenges confronting Nigeria.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the presentation of Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum, authored by former Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Lucky Irabor (rtd.), Obasanjo warned that the insurgency, now in its 15th year, posed a grave threat to national stability.
He recalled Nigeria’s history of violent conflicts — from pre-independence militancy and the Tiv riots to the civil war — but said Boko Haram had become one of the most protracted crises the country had faced.
Referencing his visit to Boko Haram members after the 2011 UN House bombing in Abuja, Obasanjo said: “They were not really aiming for anything political or religious. In short, they were looking for a better life. Have we understood that? Have we taken the right steps?”
He stressed the need to confront insecurity collectively, warning that Boko Haram and banditry were increasingly intertwined. “Those who talk about Boko Haram do not even know when it stops and when banditry starts. They are all mixed together. We must act, and we must act together,” he said.
The former president commended Irabor for documenting his reflections, describing the book as an important contribution to Nigeria’s security discourse. He further emphasised that the nation must interrogate its past to find lasting solutions to its present and future challenges.
The event drew prominent figures including former President Goodluck Jonathan, Defence Minister Muhammad Badaru, service chiefs, lawmakers, diplomats and traditional rulers.
