Daily lens
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has raised concern that the Boko Haram insurgency has become an entrenched reality in Nigeria, warning that the nation risks normalizing the menace unless it takes decisive and strategic action.
Speaking in Abuja on Friday at the public presentation of “Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum,” a new book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (retd.), Obasanjo lamented that Nigerians appear to have grown accustomed to living with insecurity.
> “Boko Haram is now virtually becoming part of our lives. Should we accept that?” he asked. “If we should not accept it, what should we do? How much do we know — even from the other side? Have we been active enough? Have we been proactive enough?”
The former president urged the nation to confront the insurgency with deeper reflection and a renewed sense of purpose, describing the threat as a “monster within our country.”
Obasanjo, who also wrote the foreword to Irabor’s book, commended the retired general for documenting his experiences in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism, calling it a courageous and valuable contribution to national history.
The high-profile book launch drew an audience of national figures, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, serving and retired service chiefs, governors, and religious leaders.
In his remarks, Jonathan revealed that Boko Haram insurgents once nominated then-General Muhammadu Buhari as their preferred negotiator during peace talks with his administration.
He explained that his government had explored various committees and non-combatant strategies to end the insurgency but found the conflict far more complex than widely understood.
Jonathan also admitted that the 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls remains one of the most painful and haunting episodes of his presidency
