Skip to main content

We didn’t address N’Delta, B’Haram terrorism early, says Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Wednesday,  said the extremisms of the Boko Haram in the North-East and the Niger Delta militants in the South-South were not addressed on time by the government before they  became monsters.
Obasanjo, who said this at a workshop in Abuja on the prevention of violent extremism, noted that the Niger Delta agitation grew from socio-economic deprivations.
According to him, violent extremism was one of the hindrances to reaping the dividends of democracy.
He said, “Violent extremism does not just spring overnight. For me, each of us has some form of extremism in us. What then makes extremism go violent? This happens when grievances are not immediately addressed. They go violent when they are left unaddressed or untreated. I want to illustrate with two or three examples. The militants in the Niger Delta did not start as militants. They started as people who felt they were not getting what they deserved within the economic and social millieu of Nigeria.
“I went as the Nigerian President and I was shocked about what I saw of the oil companies and the settlements of natives, where they had no water, no electricity, and no road. Their poverty was not addressed.
“When they failed to get attention and get their situation addressed, violence became part of their solution. The solution lies in developing that community.
“Also, the Boko Haram insurgents that are raging now, was started by Mohammed Yusuf who was normal, learned in Islamic religion and a good orator and preacher. When he was confronted with the poverty and lack of job opportunity for his followers, he decided to try and find a solution.
“What should we have as our narrative today? I have always maintained that it should be the stick and carrot approach. We did not have a stitch-in-time for the Boko Haram. It has festered and gone beyond Maiduguri and Nigeria and we have a monster. If we had tamed it much earlier with the right narrative, with the right action, the story might have been different.”
At the  workshop, which was organised by the Club De Madrid; European Union Delegation; Stop Violent Extremism Madrid + 10; Partnership Against Violent Extremism  and the Counter Terrorism Centre, the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno ,  said all stakeholders must explore ways of preventing sermons in mosques from radicalising youths.
Monguno also said the Federal Government would in August launch a national framework on prevention of violent extremism.
Monguno said that the success of the war against violent extremism would depend on  “finding lasting solutions to the challenges of governance, democratic institutions, and a lack of opportunities.”
According to him, addressing security challenges demands a comprehensive regional and international approach that combines both soft and hard approaches to the threat of violent extremism.
He said that investigations had shown that extremist groups such as Boko Haram believed they were waging a Jihad war.
Meanwhile, the European Union says at least 25 out of the 27 local government areas in Borno State are affected by Boko Haram.
The Head of the EU Delegation to ECOWAS and Nigeria, Ambassador Michael Arrion, said this on Wednesday when members of the Progressive Alliance of Democrats and Socialists in the European Parliament visited members of the advocacy group, BringBackOurGirls, in Abuja on Tuesday.
While responding to a remark, Arrion said, “I am happy to tell you that very soon we will be in Borno to announce a support recovery and rehabilitation. We will be working with the Borno State authorities. I took your message. We know that 25 LGAs out of 27 need strong support in terms of rehabilitation. We will contribute to that, I promise you.”
Arrion told our correspondent that the North-East should expect at least €140m assistance from the EU.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has called on the EU and other donor agencies for more support to resolve the humanitarian crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency in the Nort-East.
Saraki, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Print Media, Chuks Okocha, made the call when the President of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Pittella Gianni, visited him at the National Assembly in Abuja.
Copyright PUNCH.                


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Support For GEJ: C C Okirie Commends PDP In Rivers State

A frontline politician in Rivers State Chief Chukwuma Chinwa Oikrie has commended the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers state under the leadership of Bro. Felix Obuah (Go Round) for the support the party has given to President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term bid. Chief Okirie made this known at Omoku Town the headquarters of Ogba/ Egbema / Ndoni local government area over the weekend when the Party opened the Campaign Office of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in the LGA. While thanking the state Chairman for his support, Chief Okirie stated that with the support the President has received from the party in the state, there was even no need for him to come and campaign personally.   “With the tremendous support the people of the state have accorded the President, I think he should go and rest. It is even immaterial if he comes to campaign personally because the people of the state are behind him. We will give him the traditional 100% votes we have alway...
Post a Comment
Read more

DEFECTIONS: Why Saraki, Dogara Others Must Heed Sen. Ibrahim's Call by Comrade Nwokoma Ndubuisi M.

The gale of defections in the National Assembly last week was followed by an advice from no one else than Sen. Abu Ibrahim that the Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki as well as the Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara and others in the fold of the All Progressives Congress APC that are still masquerading in the party should resign their membership of the party. This call which also implies that they resign their positions as leaders of the various arms of the National Assembly is yet to be complied with by those concerned as at the time of writing this piece Whatever their reasons for still staying put in the party may be, the fact of the matter is that their continued stay in the party has become a sore which must be extricated from the body.  As I watched through the proceedings of the defections on national television, I wept for the country for producing such leaders that lack morality despite all the party has given them politically which they ordin...
Post a Comment
Read more

“Stop Harassing Atiku’s Business Interests”- CC Okirie

A Port Harcourt based businessman and politician Chief Chukwuma C. Okirie has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria not to use or allow any of its agencies, parastatals or departments to be used in intimidating or harassing any business interest (s) of former vice President Alhaji Abubakar Atiku. Chief CC Okirie who is also the National Coordinator of  Project AA a socio political group with wide follower-ship across the country said the former vice president of the country has sacrificed so much for democracy in the country and should not be subjected to any form of harassment due to his political ideology or aspiration. Chief Okirie who briefed newsmen during the meet the media chat with newsmen on the activities of his group PROJECT AA said it was high time Nigerians are allowed to speak their minds or aspire for any position of their choice without being witch hunted by authourities.  He lamented that some people who believe they have some people in particular...
Post a Comment
Read more