Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday affirmed that he would be willing to play an intermediary role in efforts to locate and rescue the over 200 Chibok school girls still in Boko Haram custody.
He, however, said he cannot wade in without the go-ahead of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Obasanjo made this known in an interview aired last night on Channels television.
Recall that President of the Civil Rights Congress, CRC, and renowned independent mediator in the Boko Haram imbroglio, Comrade Shehu Sani had on Thursday confirmed that he attended a meeting convened by the ex-president in Abeokuta.
Sani had said in a statement that the meeting was attended by families of the Boko Haram sect members with the aim of opening new channels of communication.
Obasanjo told Channels he was “surprised at how certain meetings have turned out”.
“I cannot have a plan without the Presidency being involved”, he added, denying claims that he was “going on a one man mission”. He insisted that it would be “idiotic” for him to have done so.
The former president noted that he was put on the back pedal with Sani’s statement informing the state and national authorities that a meeting had taken place and admitted that he owed the government an apology for that.
“I have to involve the President and he also tells me this is what we are doing or this is what we are pursuing either in addition or along with what we are doing or not”, he said.
On the allegation that the abduction of the girls was a plan by opponents to bring down the present administration, Obasanjo said: “If the Presidency is obsessed with one thing and one thing only and any other thing of concern to Nigeria is secondary, then the Presidency will take that position”, which he said “will be unfortunate”.
Obasanjo explained that “Boko Haram (sect) has been in existence for years…they didn’t disturb my government because when I was in government I did not disturb their Sharia”, adding: “Sharia is part of our constitution”.
Reacting to the statement by Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, Air Marshal Alex Badeh that where the abducted girls are being kept had been located, Obasanjo urged the military authorities not to engage in public relations stunts with the issue.
He said: “This is not an issue that you will play Public Relations propaganda with. It is a serious issue that is like a spear in the heart of the parents and whatever statement we make and action we take, if it will not really deal with the issue in a way that will bring those girls out safe and secure and make their families happy and will also give every Nigerian a sense of security, then such statements should not be made”.
He added that the American forces have the capability to confirm or debunk the statement made by the CDS but remarked, “I will be pleasantly surprised if those girls are returned intact”.
Please,that sentence ‘i would be PLEASANTLY SUPRISED if the girls are returned safely’really needs to be looked into,the ex-president has something up his sleeves and secondly for the ex-general to openly publicise rather than making it discreet that he needs the green light from the sitting president to serve as intermediary between the two known sides(boko haram and federal government)such action if granted by the sitting president to the ex-president and thereafter he becomes succesful would completely tarnish the reputation of the sitting president via security and other wise.
Obasanjo is nothing but moron for making such comments in the first place why should he go behind the curtain to have a meeting wit the said families of the insurgents secondly why is it now that many chibok girls are missing that he wants to wade in and settle issues which has lingered for more than a decade thirdly why is it now that he wants a go ahead approval from the sitting president
Infact Obasanjo should be held responsible for the countless gruesome genocide perpetuated by this silly fools cos from his statements he knows the whereabouts of this missing girls.
You can’t blame Baba OBJ for anything he has said or done… He is neither the cause nor the solution, GEJ is incapable, and all the blood suckers in power in this administration have only turned this into an avenue to commit even more atrocities than ever before because the media’s attention has been diverted to the current predicament in this country. People are watching and some idle minds exist and If they’re not careful another group will spring up and the politicians and ministers will be their targets, I’ve heard talks about it.. The people are not fools, justice system is collapsing and all political criminals who loot billions only get a pat on the back thereby encouraging them to do more looting, defence system is porous imagine a small group like boko haram attacking army bases, what would happen if a neighboring country attacks us.. These people are getting bigger by the day and sticking his face out on television every chance he gets to make empty promises won’t help. Less talk more action… Imagine the giant of Africa requesting international support to battle homegrown terrorists… Shame.. I’m not criticizing Nigeria in any way.. Nigeria is my land and even if I’m offered free citizenship anywhere else in the world I would not accept, despite what is going on I would remain a proud and loyal citizen. Our problem is not the country, it is rather the few greedy people heading it from various corners.
@carson 9ja, you re a very stupid man to say dt GEJ is incapable, his incapability h’s brought him as far as d President of his country, u fool dt is not even a complete citizen wil come n talk rubbish. You dat is capable were hs ur capability taken u to?
D truth is we av hands dt ar quick to shedding innocent blood & blood suckers evrywhere in Nigeria. People who go 2 any length 2get power, position & wealth. I take my judgement frm d holyscriptures, wen u read tru carefully & prayerfully, u wud realize dt no sinner went unpunishd, 4evry form of sin especially those dt dealt wit blood there were punishment. Yes God is a merciful God & forgives evry form of sin bt note dat in such sinners life time he shal pay dearly for d sin commitd & infact somtimes dis punishment ar transferrd 2generatns yet unborn. Dat portion dat reads my word wud nt kum bak 2me void includes punishment no mata hw u luk @ it. An example was prophet Moses, he killd an Eyptian man on his own accord & sufferd dearly for it by quanderin in d wilderness for years b4 bn commanded by God 2go rescue d children of Isreal, dat sin of blood & offcourse anger denied him entrant in2 d promise land, cain killd his brother Abel & became a vagabond & was cursed, dis curse transferrd to his children yet unborn, and so many more, dis where jst a soul dey wasted, now compare dt 2d punishment dt awaits boko demons & it likes. People shud bear in mind dis truth as we go abt our evryday lives. Blessings
Valentine, U̶̲̥̅̊ need a psychological eveluation that will access your state ☀̤̣̈̇f mind. To D̶̲̥̅̊ pple voice comment, only a fool will agree to D̶̲̥̅̊ fact that Dis president Jonathan has not fail Nigeria. Only what he is Ǧ☺☺ϑ at is to aids his minister to lunch a more diplomatic corruption process which has being critisize by D̶̲̥̅̊ entire world.
Ex president Olusegun Obasanjo should be questioned on the closing statement of his speech. what do he mean by being pleasantly surprised if the girls are released intact.I think he has a role in all that has befallen this nation in terms of insurgency. Posterity will not forgive whosoever that is involved in any way in the nation’s predicament.
Nigerians of all shades pretend to be wise and forthcoming with solutions,but never coming up with tangible outcome.The reason is that the average leader both past or present,traditional or religious or political are greedy,visionless and timid in addressing the flaws of the Nigeria project design.We must accept that Nigeria will never know peace when we are at cross purpose on nation-building.The constant display of intent of section(region) to rule at all cost cast a form of slide into slavery which is being resisted by every means possible,here lies the foundation to all crimes being committed aganist our common patrimony.
Our multifarious problem in Nigeria is of our own making-leaders and followers alike. Most of us are always kotowing to our leaders; as is apparent in comments here. They will defend their leaders irrespective of what they did, even if they publicly pee in their pants, ‘nothing spoil’. It is high time we started having our own minds, untarnished with sycophancy and unbiased with sentiments. The clause, ‘pleasantly surprised’, is very true and any reasonable person would not expect this girls would be returned intact, both in number and heath wise. It would be a miracle if they are because what could be happening to them in that bush is better left to the imagination. Nigeria has not been this insecure in her 100 year history, if you don’t blame the president who would you blame then? If a football team fails to perform, the coach almost always takes the blame. That’s why they say ‘uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. As regards OBJ’s role, well somebody has to do it and, certainly, it is not the president. The president did not personally negotiate with the Niger Delta militants, did he?