“To deal with a group like that, you need a carrot and stick. The carrot is finding out how to reach out to them. When you try to reach out to them and they are not amenable to being reached out to, you have to use the stick,” he said during the interview.
Obasanjo said President Jonathan was “just using the stick” in his efforts. “He’s doing one aspect of it well, but the other aspect must not be forgotten.”
Obasanjo told the CNN that he had tried to reach out to Boko Haram about one- year-and- a-half ago through a lawyer who was acting as the group’s proxy, and had asked if they had external backing. He said the lawyer told him that the group was receiving support from other Nigerians who have resources overseas or “other organizations from abroad”.
“If they had 25 per cent support a year and a half ago, today that support must has doubled,” Obasanjo said.
He also said that resolving the issue was central to the country’s progress. “Boko Haram undermines security, and anything that undermines security undermines development, undermines education, undermines health, undermines agriculture and food and nutrition security,” he said.
In response to Obasanjo’s statement, Jonathan’s spokesman, Reuben Abati, told Punch that it was surprising that the same Obasanjo who said recently that his presidency applied force when he was confronted with similar situation in Odi, Rives State, has now turned round to accuse Jonathan of applying only the stick against Boko Haram.
He said that contrary to what Obasanjo wanted the world to believe, the Federal Government’s handling of the Boko Haram menace had been purposeful and that a lot of progress had been made.
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- JoSh GYang and Benjamin Kondom like this.
- Machief Ayuba Mallo Obasanjo always mouth twisting just to make himself holier than thou
old man go back to your farm
Good luck wake up - Onyinye Nwosu-Ekemezie Two faced man like Obasanjo. We cannot forget his ordeal in Odi in a jiffy. Did he use carrot there? Lemme hear word joor
- Simon Kasham Bala Boko haram need Late Abacha style with d same sect cal group matatsine, but d diff. Is they are hiding, the FG knows who are responsible 4 so cal boko haram. So Goodluk shuld knws his members.
- Sodangi Ephraim · Friends with Simon Kasham Bala
Obasajo is my man and is d only guy who can deal wit dis so-called islamic group called boko haram had it been he is d 1 in power .i believ soon there wil b no hiding place 4 d B.H group.
