- Says insurgents want to Islamise, ‘Fulanise’ Nigeria and Africa
- Security challenges beyond Nigeria’s capacity
Senator Iroegbu
The former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has warned that it is practically impossible for the country to defeat Boko Haram terrorists and Fulani herdsmen with a ‘weak military’.
He said this is worsened by the fact that the insurgents are determined to ‘Fulanise and Islamise’ Nigeria as well Africa.
Obasanjo made these remarks on Saturday 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, South-South Nigeria.
According to the former Head of State who delivered a paper titled: ‘Mobilising Nigeria’s Human and Natural Resources for National Development and Stability’, Nigerian military are poorly trained, equipped, led and motivated enough to defeat Boko Haram and rampaging herdsmen.
He further warned that the insurgency and other related security challenges have 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.”
“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.”
Read: Insecurity: Obasanjo, elder statesmen writes-off Buhari as incompetent
Speaking further, Obasanjo stressed that Boko Haram activities could have been checked earlier, but the government thought of the insurgents as rascals not requiring any serious attention.
Concerning the capacity of the military, he said that the poor condition under which the soldiers operates also make it difficult to for them to defeat Boko Haram.
Obasanjo emphasised the fact that lack of motivation and equipment for the Military makes it impossible for Nigerian Army to defeat Boko Haram, bandits and herdsmen.
He continued: “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.”
Obasanjo had in January 2019, berated President Muhammadu Buhari for his inability to lead the country out of many security, socio-political and economic challenges bedeviling it.
To him, Nigeria needs a leader other than Buhari who is “physically fit, mentally sound and has an active intellect”.
