We’ve told Nigerians that we shall, within a few months of coming to power, resolve the problem of Boko Haram. When we said so, some people asked: Why can’t you do so now? We can’t do that now because we are not the Commander in Chief. We can only offer advice. We had offered advice on several occasions, and the advice were not taken.
Some had even said since you said within a few months of coming to power you would resolve the Boko Haram issue, then you are responsible. Then, I say that is silly thinking. We have done a very thorough work on insurgencies and we have told government, time and time again, that it is always almost impossible to defeat any insurgency relying only on the military option. You must combine the military option with political and economic options. Political option is talking to them; discussing with them.
Some had even said since you said within a few months of coming to power you would resolve the Boko Haram issue, then you are responsible. Then, I say that is silly thinking. We have done a very thorough work on insurgencies and we have told government, time and time again, that it is always almost impossible to defeat any insurgency relying only on the military option. You must combine the military option with political and economic options. Political option is talking to them; discussing with them.
Every government will tell you that they will not negotiate with terrorists, but behind, they do so. How come we have the Oslo Accord between Palestine and Israel? How come we had the Peace Treaty between the IRA and the UK? It is not talking that is wrong; it is what you discuss. Without discussing with the terrorists, you can never know their mindset. 90 out of such cases are resolved through that means.
The other argument is: How do we talk to ghosts; we don’t know them? Insurgents don’t advertise their headquarters; the onus is on the government to know how to reach them; you reach them through contacts; through intermediaries. In the case of Israel and PLO; in the case of IRA and the UK and in the case of Indonesian rebels, it was individuals, organisations, NGOs that were used as contacts.
From contacts, they became negotiators before government came in. In many cases, you go to their territories to negotiate. They will not talk to people they don’t trust or believe in. This government has done nothing in this area and that is why everyday, we lose lives. I will talk to anybody to save lives.
When we said that we are going to stop insurgency, it is because we know what it takes; we have studied how it is done all over the world and know how to go about it. Two, there is the economic factor. 50 per cent of the problem of Boko Haram can be resolved with better job, better infrastructure, more employment opportunities etc. This is because we have left these people without any hope.
The youths are unemployed; they see corruption and they go through hardship. So, how would you now ask them to resist the offer of Boko Haram. Boko Haram is one of the easiest insurgencies to dismantle because they have no political base; unlike IRA, unlike PLO. What is the political philosophy of Boko Haram except Islamisation. Not even the people of the North East agree with them on that.
So, you can see the total lack of understanding of insurgency. Also, we can’t have a rag-tag army and tell them to go and sacrifice their lives; an army that is not well equipped. We need to gather intelligence. Where is the morale? That is why we are confident that we will wipe it out.
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