By Ighomuaye Lucky. O
Former President Goodluck has finally detonated an atomic bomb 10 years after leaving the office as the nation’s president.
The former president disclosed how his successor, the late Muhammadu Buhari, was nominated for peace talks with the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents.
Speaking on Friday at the public presentation of ‘Scars’, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (retd.), in Abuja, Jonathan disclosed that his administration set up several committees to explore dialogue with Boko Haram.
According to him, Buhari was chosen as their preferred negotiator in one of such instances.
“One of the committees we set up then, the Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with the government.
“So I was feeling that, oh, if they nominated Buhari to represent them and have a discussion with the government committee, then when Buhari took over, it could have been an easy way to negotiate with them, and they would have handed over their guns. But it was still there till today,” Jonathan said.
Jonathan added that Buhari’s inability to eradicate the Boko Haram sect proved the crisis is more complex than portrayed.
“If you conduct research and interview many people, you will only get part of the story, but never the full story of Boko Haram. I was there. Boko Haram started in 2009 when I was vice president. I took over in 2010 and spent five years battling the insurgency until I left office.
“I thought that after I left, within a reasonable time, General Buhari would wipe them out. But even today, Boko Haram is still there. The issue of Boko Haram is far more complex than it is often presented.
“So, it’s a bit complex, and not a matter of a single story. But I believe, as a nation, we have to look at the Boko Haram issue differently from the conventional approach.
“I believe one day we’ll overcome it. Once again, let me thank General Irabor for this, because I always appreciate people who document events clearly. That way, when we write our own accounts, we can borrow from such documentation.
“I also believe that all the military officers involved in the Boko Haram saga should provide information about what the group truly stood for.”
Sun
