…blames leadership failure for Boko Haram insurgence
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has recounted how ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo ended the Boko Haram insurgency in weeks with one order.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday during a visit by stakeholders from Kogi East Senatorial District led by former Kogi State Deputy Governor, Simon Achuba, Atiku attributed the lingering insurgency to leadership failure and a lack of strong political will.
According to Atiku in a video shared on his Facebook page, he recalled that Boko Haram first emerged in Yobe State in 2002, during his tenure as Vice President, prompting Obasanjo to seek his counsel on how to address the situation.
ALSO READ: No attempted Boko Haram invasion in Oyo, trending video is outdated — Police
Atiku said, “You remember when the Boko Haram started in Yobe? It was actually in 2002. We were in office.
“The president sent for me. ‘VP, what do we do about this?’ Then I said, ‘Mr President, let’s call the Service Chiefs and give them a deadline.
“If they can’t put it down, then they should put down their uniform and go away. We will get some other people’.
“And he called the Service Chiefs, I was there, and gave them marching orders, and within a few weeks, they put down the insurgency in Yobe. It never came up again until we left office.”
He lamented the current state of insecurity in the country, blaming it on the failure of leadership to act decisively.
“So, I will say there’s a lack of political will on the leaders. When they’re killing your citizens, how can you even eat?
“They’re killing your citizens and you don’t give a damn; that is the greatest irresponsibility by any political leader, anywhere,” he added.
