Chief Olusegun Obasanjo spoke about the
rise of terrorism in Nigeria
- The former president blamed it on the
government's refusal to follow court orders
- He said the group rose as a result of
poverty and unemployment
Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo
has blamed the federal government’s
refusal to follow court orders as the
reason for the rise of the Boko Haram
terrorist sect.
Premium Times reports that the former
president revealed this in Abuja at a two-
day workshop on preventing violent
extremism.
He said the founder of the sect,
Mohammed Yusuf was touched by the
poverty and unemployment of his
followers and decided to find a solution
to their problem.
Obasanjo said the government’s use of
stick rather than carrot escalated tension He said: “Anybody you talk to in
Maiduguri, where Boko Haram festered
like a bad sore, will tell you that the man,
who reared it, Mohammed Yusuf, was…
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 solution.”
“What were the solutions he found? Hate
preaching and being lawless within the
community…”
“The narrative became the stick, and he
knocked at the door and the door was not
opened, he went legal, some of his
followers went legal; they got
compensation government did not pay.
Their members where being hunted and
hounded, so they went into violence and
that violence has festered to what we have
today.” He said: “Anybody you talk to in
Maiduguri, where Boko Haram festered
like a bad sore, will tell you that the man,
who reared it, Mohammed Yusuf, was…
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 solution.”
“What were the solutions he found? Hate
preaching and being lawless within the
community…”
“The narrative became the stick, and he
knocked at the door and the door was not
opened, he went legal, some of his
followers went legal; they got
compensation government did not pay.
Their members where being hunted and
hounded, so they went into violence and
that violence has festered to what we have
today.” He said: “Anybody you talk to in
Maiduguri, where Boko Haram festered
like a bad sore, will tell you that the man,
who reared it, Mohammed Yusuf, was…
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 solution.”
“What were the solutions he found? Hate
preaching and being lawless within the
community…”
“The narrative became the stick, and he
knocked at the door and the door was not
opened, he went legal, some of his
followers went legal; they got
compensation government did not pay.
Their members where being hunted and
hounded, so they went into violence and
that violence has festered to what we have
today.” He said: “Anybody you talk to in
Maiduguri, where Boko Haram festered
like a bad sore, will tell you that the man,
who reared it, Mohammed Yusuf, was…
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 solution.”
“What were the solutions he found? Hate
preaching and being lawless within the
community…”
“The narrative became the stick, and he
knocked at the door and the door was not
opened, he went legal, some of his
followers went legal; they got
compensation government did not pay.
Their members where being hunted and
hounded, so they went into violence and
that violence has festered to what we have
today.”