Obasanjo expresses hope Buhari can beat Boko Haram as Nigeria defeated Biafran rebels

FORMER president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed hope that Nigeria can win the ongoing fight against Boko Haram terrorists  the way the country was able to overcome Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War.

 

Speaking yesterday when he took a team of Colombian security experts to meet President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja, Chief Obasanjo said Nigeria needed to take a cue from Colombia in respect to how that country has been able to manage that insurgency it had been battling with for more than 50 years. Colombia has been fighting Farc rebels who have launched a guerrilla campaign against it.

 

During the Nigerian Civil War which took place between July 1967 and January 1970, President Buhari served under Chief Obasanjo, who was the commander of one of Nigeria's three army divisions. Like President Buhari, Chief Obasanjo has called for increased focus on the military battle against Boko Haram.

 

Chief Obasanjo said: “I brought a delegation of those of us who visited Colombia last year under the auspices of a foundation which I am the chairman. We went to Colombia to see how the Colombian authorities were handling the issue of insurgency which had been with them for more than 50 years.

 

"As a result of that visit and the experience we had, a book was produced and I said to them that it will be interesting for us in Nigeria to learn as much as we can learn from the experience of Colombia. Buhari was interested and you know that one thing you can say about the president is that he is anxious to learn and he has listening ears."

 

He added that the second purpose of his visit to the presidential villa was to brief the president on the success recorded so far in resolving the political crisis in Guinea Bissau. Chief Obasanjo visited Guinea Bissau last Friday, where he spent last weekend, adding that country has finally agreed to put a new government in place, which would be formed either yesterday or today.

 

He added that with the war against Boko Haram, it was not just a military matter as the government will also need to introduce socio-economic development, education, employment measures in the affected areas.  Asked whether the war against Boko Haram can be won in three months as declared by President Buhari, Chief Obasanjo said it was only normal that the president should give target to which Nigerians could aspire to.