Obasanjo to Buhari: act now to keep Nigeria one

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday called for a cohesive strategy for combating insecurity in the national interest.

He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to stem the tide of terrorism, kidnapping and killings with renewed speed to keep Nigeria united. Delay could be dangerous, he warned.

Noting that the security situation was getting out of hand, Obasanjo said the President should embrace the compelling need for a broad-based assistance to tackle the situation.

He said: “We need cohesion and concentration of effort and maximum force – political, economic, social, psychological and military – to deal successfully with the menace of criminality and terrorism separately and together. Blame game among own forces must be avoided.

“It is debilitating and only helpful to our adversary. We cannot dither anymore. It is time to confront this threat headlong and in a manner that is holistic, inclusive and purposeful.”

The former leader reflected on the grave security situation in his latest letter to President Buhari, recalling that he had advised the Commander-in-Chief to seek help beyond his administration.

Obasanjo said:” A couple of weeks ago at a public lecture, I had said, among other things, that: ‘In all these issues of mobilisation for national unity, stability, security, cooperation, development, growth and progress, there is no consensus.

“Like in the issue of security, government should open up discussion, debate and dialogue as part of consultation at different levels and the outcome of such deliberations should be collated to form inputs into a national conference to come up with the solution that will effectively deal with the issues and lead to rapid development, growth and progress which will give us a wholesome society and enhanced living standard and livelihood in an inclusive and shared society.

“It will be a national programme. We need unity of purpose and nationally accepted strategic roadmap that will not change with whims and caprices of any government. It must be owned by the citizens, people’s policy and strategy implemented by the government, no matter its colour and leaning.”

Read also: Full text of Obasanjo’s open letter to president Buhari

Obasanjo urged the President to seek help from eminent leaders and institutions, including “traditional rulers, past heads of service, past heads of para-military organisations, private sector, civil society, community leaders, particularly in the affected areas, present and past governors, present and past local government leaders, religious leaders, past Heads of State, past intelligence chiefs, past Heads of Civil Service and current and retired diplomats, members of opposition and any groups that may be deemed relevant.”

He added: “The President must be seen to be addressing this issue with utmost seriousness and with maximum dispatch and getting all hands on deck to help.”

Obasanjo explained that he decided to write President Buhari on the weighty issue to drum home the point that dialogue can open the way to problem solving.

He observed that the current challenge facing the country “is the issue of life and death.”

The former president said he decided to write President Buhari “as a Nigerian who still bears the scar of the Nigerian civil war” and “with a son who bears the scar of fighting Boko Haram on his body.”

Reviewing President Buhari’s first term, Obasanjo pointed out that it was characterised by Boko Haram onslaught, stressing that the government’s claim about victory over the sect was unfounded.

He said the recent explanation by the Chief of Army Staff that victory could not be attained due sabotage, lack of commitment and poor motivation for troops underscored the gap between expectation and reality.

Obasanjo lamented that Boko Haram remained a big issue for those who were victimised, killed, maimed, kidnapped, raped, sold into slavery, forced into marriage and for children forcibly recruited into carrying bombs to cause maximum destruction.

He stressed: “ Boko Haram will not go away on the basis of sticks alone; carrots must overweigh sticks. How else do you deal with issues such as only about 50% literacy in North-East with over 70% unemployment?”

Obasanjo blamed the Federal Government for not curtaining herdsmen menace before it developed into banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and killings all over the country.

He lamented that the unfortunate situation was being perceived as a “Fulani” menace unleashed by Fulani elite in the various parts of the country for some reasons under a Fulani captain of ship.

In Obasanjo’s view, the reason for the perception is the mismanagement of diversity, which ought to be the greatest national asset.

Obasanjo added: “With the death of Funke, Chief Fasoranti’s daughter, some sympathetic Nigerian groups are saying “enough is enough”. Prof. Anya, a distinguished Nigerian merit laureate, has this to say, ‘We can no longer say with certainty that we have a nation”.

“Niger-Delta leaders, Southeastern leaders, Middlebelt leaders and Northern Elders Forum have not remained quiet. Different ordinary Nigerians at home and abroad are calling for different measures to address or ameliorate the situation. All the calls and cries can only continue to be ignored at the expense of Nigerian unity, if not its continued existence.”

Obasanjo warned that, if insecurity persists, there may be reprisal attacks, rightly or wrongly against suspected Fulanis, which may herald a pogrom or Rwanda-type genocide.

The former president also said that, if the war against insecurity fails, President Buhari should be held responsible.

Obasanjo added: “Similar attacks against any other tribe or ethnic group anywhere in the country initiated by rumours, fears, intimidation and revenge capable of leading to pogrom; violent uprising beginning from one section of the country and spreading quickly to other areas and leading to dismemberment of the country.

“It happened to Yugoslavia not too long ago. If we do not act now, one or all of these scenarios may happen. We must pray and take effective actions at the same time. The initiative is in the hands of the President of the nation, but he cannot do it alone.

“In my part of the world, if you are sharpening your cutlass and a mad man comes from behind to take the cutlass from you, you need other people’s assistance to have your cutlass back without being harmed. The mad men with serious criminal intent and terrorism as core value have taken cutlass of security. The need for assistance to regain control is obviously compelling and must be embraced now.”