Former
president Olusegun Obasanjo has said that the current level of
corruption in Nigeria is assuming an unimaginable proportion and
is quite mind-boggling.
Obasanjo
who spoke on a CNN interview programme said while the level of
corruption in the country was rising, Jonathan’s government was not
doing enough to stem the tide.
He
also called on the federal government to apply carrot-and-stick
approach in tackling threats to security in the country, arguing that
the threat posed by Boko Haram is becoming increasingly unbearable and
should not be taken for granted.
The
sect, he said, could be given incentives to lay down their arms, but
those who continue to threaten security afterwards, he said, should be
punished. This, he said, would go a long way in bringing lasting peace
in the country.
Appreciating
other options used by the federal government, Obasanjo said no option
is exhaustive, hence the need to be objective in handling the sect.
Believing
in the unity of the country and refusing to see any form of trouble
disuniting the nation, Obasanjo noted that “Nigeria will never split
into two”. He said the nation has suffered the worst threat and came out
strong. Nigeria, he said, is stronger than any group and the interest
of the nation should be respected.
Speaking
further, Obasanjo said that President Goodluck Jonathan “can do more”
to make Nigeria a better place. Nigeria, he said, is a great nation with
law-abiding citizens and the government can improve on that.
“To
deal with a group like that, you need a carrot and stick. The carrot is
finding out how to reach out to them,” he said. “When you try to reach
out to them and they are not amenable to being reached out to, you have
to use the stick.”
Obasanjo
said President Jonathan was “just using the stick” in his efforts.
“He’s doing one aspect of it well, but the other aspect must not be
forgotten.”
The
Islamist militants, who operate chiefly in Nigeria’s restive north,
have carried out numerous deadly attacks on mosques, churches and
businesses and are suspected of having links to al Qaeda.
Obasanjo
said he had tried to reach out to Boko Haram about a year and a half
ago through a lawyer who was acting as the group’s proxy, and had asked
if they had external backing.
The
lawyer told him that the group was receiving support from other
Nigerians who have resources overseas or “other organizations from
abroad,” Obasanjo said.
“If they had 25% support a year and a half ago, today that support has doubled,” the former president said.
Analysts
suggested that reaching out to Boko Haram might be increasingly
difficult because the group has split into different factions, some with
a domestic focus and others with a more pan-jihadi approach.
Resolving
the issue is key to Nigeria’s progress, according to Obasanjo, who now
heads an eponymous foundation that is working to promote human security
across Africa.
“Boko
Haram undermines security, and anything that undermines security
undermines development, undermines education, undermines health,
undermines agriculture and food and nutrition security,” he said.
International rights group Human Rights Watch said Boko Haram has killed more than 2,800 people.
