Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has delivered a scathing assessment of Nigeria’s prolonged struggle against Boko Haram and related insurgent and criminal violence, asserting that the decades-long conflict has morphed into an entrenched “industry” — sustained over time by beneficiaries within and outside government.
Speaking on Sunday during the live-streamed “Toyin Falola Interviews,” which also featured religious and economic leaders, Obasanjo noted with concern that the insurgency has outlasted even the country’s 30-month civil war. He said what began as a security threat has now entrenched itself as part of Nigeria’s socio-economic and political fabric.
According to Obasanjo, the failure to end the crisis stems largely from flawed strategy and institutional weaknesses. He argued that Nigeria’s military remains trained for conventional warfare — ill-suited to fight insurgents who are mobile, elusive, and often embedded within civilian populations.
He urged the government to adopt a comprehensive counter-insurgency approach built upon four pillars: specialised training, modern equipment, credible intelligence gathering, and advanced technology. Obasanjo suggested that Nigeria should seek external training from countries that have successfully suppressed insurgencies, citing Colombia as a potential model.
But above all, he lamented the role of internal sabotage and systemic inertia, warning that “the whole thing is an industry.” He questioned why security procurement, intelligence, and reforms have remained stagnant — implying that vested interests may benefit from the continuation of insecurity.
Referring to his 2011 visit to Maiduguri — then in a bid to engage with Boko Haram’s early leadership and understand the group’s grievances — Obasanjo recalled how a potential ceasefire and negotiation window was allowed to lapse without follow-through by government. He argued that this failure marked a turning point, where opportunities for peaceful resolution were lost and violence entrenched.
Observers say Obasanjo’s blunt critique underscores growing frustration among citizens, victims of terror, and security experts alike — a frustration rooted in the perception that while the human cost has escalated, effective solutions remain elusive. The former president’s analogy — that the insurgency has become a business — resonates deeply in a nation where fear, abductions, banditry, and kidnappings have become tragically ordinary.
Whether his call for a sweeping overhaul of Nigeria’s security strategy will galvanize action remains uncertain. But by laying bare the structural nature of the crisis, Obasanjo has reignited the urgent debate over political will, reform, and the real cost of prolonged insecurity on Nigeria’s future.
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