Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan lived in denial about the abducted Chibok schoolgirls for more than two weeks, withholding valuable decisions that would have led to the rescue of the girls, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said.
The former president said this in an interview with Bloomberg TV Africa, aired on Saturday.
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“The president did not believe that those girls were abducted for almost 18 days,” Mr. Obasanjo said in the interview. “If the president got the information within 12 hours of the act and he reacted immediately, I believe those girls would have been rescued within 24 hours, maximum 48 hours.”
Mr. Obasanjo said that rather than spring into action after receiving briefings about the abduction, “the president had doubts.”
He said the president’s initial action was to ask: “‘Is this true, or is it a ploy by people who don’t want me to be president again?’”
President Jonathan’s lethargic approach to the kidnapping was the “most unfortunate aspect of the whole issue,” the former president said.
The insurgent group, Boko Haram, kidnapped over 250 schoolgirls from their hostels in Government Secondary School Chibok, in the early hours of April 14, but President Jonathan only acknowledged it 20 days later, after international pressures mounted, ahead of the World Economic Forum for Africa.
The president first spoke about the abduction in a media chat where he blamed the parents of the schoolgirls for not volunteering information about the victims and the incident.
Mr. Obasanjo, who is currently in talks with mediators to help free the victims, said an equal lethargy by President Jonathan greeted his earlier efforts to end the insurgency three years ago.
Boko Haram, whose name means “western education is sin,” is thought to be waging a violent campaign to impose Islamic law in most of Northern Nigeria.
More than 4,000 people have been killed in the campaign since it started in 2009, with the highest number of killings occurring this year alone.
The Boko Haram insurgency has also been explained as political, especially by members of the President Jonathan administration, who often argue the group was set up to “destabilize” the regime, even though the group’s history pre-dates the current government.
In his Democracy Day speech, the president said he has ordered security forces to “launch a full-scale operation” and use any lawful means to defeat the group.
Mr. Obasanjo’s criticism of President Jonathan’s style is the second in less than one year.
In December, he wrote the president an 18-page letter where he accused Mr. Jonathan of serving the ethnic interests of his native Ijaw people and fostering divisions between the largely Muslim north and the Christian south in a bid to win re-election in 2015.
“I don’t believe he has performed to the expectations of many Nigerians, not just me,” Mr. Obasanjo said in the Bloomberg interview.
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Oga OBJ ur regime was worse nau...see pot calling kettle black...No more U abeg go sidon for ur farm
ReplyDeleteu r very stupid for saying dat. Hw is gej better than obj. Always u ppl say rubish wit ur mouth. Haba. Wat relates ur adage to this matter. Off point. Sensless idol fool
ReplyDeleteThat's a big lie! Fool... Obj regime was better off. @least we can pin point good things Obj did. Am sure you can count the number of pple that's dead within a short while. Jonas regime is a disaster. I'm not sentimental, there are obvious reasons... Sparrow
ReplyDeleteGEJ's regime is d worse abeg_jst pinpoint 1thing u v enjoyd so far abt dis jonah's regime_i blv he is jst 2dull 2rule a nation
ReplyDeleteobj ran the worst govt.
ReplyDeleteI wonder. see obj that Zamfara and oyhers were burning with sharia but Obj went for his foreign trip and said it will die a natural death .how many people died from sharia.Obj is a millitary man and one can see how hr leveled ODi and Zakibiam.buy this is true civilian regime. this is democratic regime and due process must be followed.GEJ is following OBj as he did in sharia case why is he now blaming him .any way the Amnesty preacher had the worst currupt govt incliding a 4billion library project that he cornered for himself and attempt to buy up Nig with Atiku
ReplyDeleteThe truth is that Obj was a failed Godfather and see every opportunity to take his pound of flesh Who does not know his unforgiven lifestyle.He dinned with Audu Ogbe in the afternoon and signed his sack in the evening Ido not trust Obj for any thing
You can call me anyyhing but his third term ambition rubished the trust I held for him before
E go better 4 una 2 wey talk sense 4 dis site. Obasanjo regime no good,many graduates dey Alaba in'l mrk 4 lagos dey raise their family with Gsm engineering wrk whn dem finish & no wrk. Som dey do downloadin of apps 4 fone & him regime no good 4 som fools eye. If him family dey among ppl wey BH don Bomb ni,he 4 talk sense 4 here.
ReplyDeleteOBJ relevancy in national affairs cannot be ruled out. he has the experience and can give fatherly advice to GEJ, so don't criticise OBJ.
ReplyDeleteI can see the full magnitude of the gullibility of Nigerians here. GEJ is human,therefore must have his short comings & faults. His govt has performed far more than many former governments. We do not need to insult ourselves or anybody to express this. He met 2500megawatts of power & in less one tenure upgraded it to 4500 ie extra 2000megawatts. He's promising to make it 6000MW in no distant time. All these he notwithstanding the turbulence created for him & his govt. How many did OBJ add during his 8yrs tenure. Find out how many kilometres of roads already constructed, or maintained & those still under construction. Search for facts on how many Kilometres done all thru d 8yrs of OBJ. Nigerians need to be realistic and criticize constructively. GEJ cannot open fire or direct an air raid on Sambissa forest as that will mean assassination of those girls by his govt. OBJ would have responded more rapidly but he would certainly have done more harm than good. Have Nigerians forgotten that OBJ allowed a favourable breeding ground for BH,when he allowed Sharia a flamboyant existence during his tenure. OBJ is one of the worst things that has happened to Nigeria. If Jonathan receives the same support from all parts of the country as did OBJ, you can imagine what he'll achieve. The best thing for this country is to operate a full federal system,where all the federating units will enjoy equal autonomy. Then we'll find out who's fooling who...Chris
ReplyDelete