Boko Haram Founders Told Me Poverty, Unemployment Caused Insurgency – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday said in the early days of Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, he was told by the founders of the terrorist group that poverty and unemployment drove them into the crime.

He however warned that the country’s over 20 million out-of-school children were a breeding ground for more ‘Boko Haram members of the future’ if not urgently tackled.

He stated these at the launch of a book titled, ‘Pillars of Statecraft: Nation-building in a changing world’ authored by his daughter, Dr Kofo Obasanjo-Blackshire, at an event in Lagos.

Responding to a question by a member of the audience on why government policies had become more political than people-centered in recent times, he said part of the country’s major problems was looking for scapegoats for its problems.

He stated further, “During the early days of Boko Haram, when the man who started the movement was said to have been killed, I said I wanted to meet with the members of the group to talk to them and know what they wanted.

“I met with their representatives and found out that they needed nothing but a better life for themselves. Can we blame them for wanting a better life for themselves?

“They said they believed in Sharia Law. I told them that Sharia was not a problem in Nigeria. It is part of our constitution.”

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