Former Nigeria president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has spoken about the root cause of the Boko Haram insurgency in the country.
According to Obasanjo, the founders of the group informed him that poverty and unemployment were the driving factors behind their actions.
Furthermore, Obasanjo drew attention to the alarming number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, which currently stands at twenty million.
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He warned that the situation could lead to the creation of more Boko Haram members in the future.
The Former President made the statement while speaking at the launch of a book titled, ‘Pillars of Statecraft: Nation- building in a changing world’ written by his daughter, Dr Kofo Obasanjo-Blackshire, in Lagos.
He said:
“During the early days of Boko Haram, when the man who started the movement was said to have been killed, I said I wanted to meet with the members of the group to talk to them and know what they wanted.
“I met with their representatives and found out that they needed nothing but a better life for themselves. Can we blame them for wanting a better life for themselves?
“They said they believed in Sharia Law. I told them that Sharia was not a problem in Nigeria. It is part of our constitution.”
