Ex President, Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday described President Muhammadu Buhari as a good leader, saying he not only has listening ears, but is also anxious to learn.
FROM LEFT: MEMBER OF A DELEGATION FROM THE BRETHURST FOUNDATION, DR GREG MILLS; FORMER PRESIDENT OLUSEGUN OBASANJO; ASSOCIATE MEMBER, THE BRENTHURST FOUNDATION, MAJ.-GEN. DICKIE DAVIS; LEADER OF THE DELEGATION, MR JONATHAN OPPENHEIMER, AND PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI, DURING A PRESENTATION TO PRESIDENT BUHARI BY THE BRETHURST FOUNDATION, AT THE PRESIDENTIAL VILLA IN ABUJA
Speaking to journalists after leading a team of Colombian security experts in a meeting to share professional expertise on security and counter terrorism with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa on Monday, former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, said Nigeria needed to learn how Colombia survived insurgency for more than 50 years.
"I have come to see the president for two reasons. The first one is the one you have just seen: I brought a delegation of those of us who visited Colombia last year under the auspices of a foundation which I am the chairman.
"We went to Colombia to see how the Colombian authorities were handling the issue of insurgency which had been with them for more than 50 years. As a result of that visit and the experience we had, a book was produced and I said to them that it will be interesting for us in Nigeria to learn as much as we can learn from the experience of Colombia."
On how the president reacted to their submissions: "He (Buhari) was interested. You know that one thing you can say about the president is that he is anxious to learn and he has listening ears. Of course, nobody knows it all. A good leader must seek every opportunity to learn and to put what he learns into practice."
On the lessons Nigerians can learn from insurgency in Colombia, he said, "The specific thing is that they have been fighting insurgency for 50 years. They celebrated their 50 years in existence in May last year, in fact, we went there in June.
"So, we want to see what has kept them going, what has kept insurgency going? What has made the government of Columbia to make three attempts to seek peace, to end the war and insurgency and they failed. What is the new efforts that they are making? How likely are those new efforts going to succeed?"
Obasanjo further expressed hope that Nigeria can win the Boko Haram war the way the country was able to overcome the civil war. "Oh yes. If we won the civil war, we can win this one. But like the Columbian said, we are not waiting until we kill off every insurgent to say we have won. I believe that once the military has the upper hand, other measures that have to be taken will be put in place.
"There will be measures of socio-economic development, education, employment. All that has to go into the process of eventually winning the war and saying, ‘here is Uhuru."
Asked whether the war against Boko Haram can be won in three months as declared by the President, Obasanjo said, "The president must give a target. When you give somebody a target, you give him something to aspire to, giving him an objective. Target is not cast in stone.
"I believe that if you are talking of getting the upper hand, gradually, we are getting the upper hand. We are not there yet but we are getting close. And once we are getting upper hand, we move on and do other things."