By Nimi Princewill.
Former Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo has bemoaned the incessant killings orchestrated by herdsmen and Boko Haram insurgents in the country.
Speaking yesterday at the second session of the seventh Synod of the Anglican Communion, Oleh Diocese, in the Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, the ex-president delivered a paper titled, ‘Mobilising Nigeria’s Human and Natural Resources for National Development and Stability.’
He decried that consequent upon the insurgents’ collaboration with the Islamic State West African Province fighters, the complexity of the challenge has been heightened and grown beyond what Nigeria can tackle alone.
According to him, “It is no longer an issue of a lack of education and employment for our youths in Nigeria which it began as, it is now West African Fulanisation, African islamisation and global organised crimes of human trafficking, money laundering, drug trafficking, gun trafficking, illegal mining and regime change.
“They have both incubated and developed beyond what Nigeria can handle alone. They are now combined and internationalised with ISIS in control.”
He criticized the government for not acting swiftly in dealing with violence engineered by both Boko Haram and herdsmen at the beginning.
“Every issue of insecurity must be taken seriously at all levels and addressed at once without favouritism or cuddling. Both Boko Haram and herdsmen acts of violence were not treated as they should at the beginning.
“We could have dealt with both earlier and nip them in the bud, but Boko Haram boys were seen as rascals not requiring any serious attention in administering holistic measures of stick and carrot. And when we woke up to the reality, it was turned to industry for all and sundry to supply materials and equipment that were already outdated and that were not fit for active military purpose.
He further lamented the inadequacies of the Nigerian military which fueled the influx of the insurgents rather than curtail it.
“Soldiers were poorly trained for the unusual mission, poorly equipped, poorly motivated, poorly led and made to engage in propaganda rather than achieving results.
He berated the government for investing more in strengthening the insurgents through payment of ransoms than it did in gathering intelligence.
“Intelligence was poor and governments embarked on games of denials while paying ransoms which strengthened the insurgents and yet governments denied payment of ransoms. Today, the security issue has gone beyond the wit and capacity of Nigerian government or even West African governments.”