ABUJA, Oct 3 (The African Portal) – Nigeria’s former President Goodluck Jonathan said on Friday that Islamist insurgents Boko Haram once nominated his successor Muhammadu Buhari to negotiate with the government during attempts to end their insurgency through dialogue.
Jonathan made the disclosure at the launch of SCARS: Nigeria’s Journey and The Boko Haram Conundrum, a book by former Chief of Defence Staff General Lucky Irabor, in Abuja.
“One of the major scars on my government is the scar of the Chibok girls. It is a scar that will die with me,” Jonathan said, referring to the 2014 abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls by Boko Haram, which drew international condemnation.
He said his administration had set up several committees to explore peace talks. “During one of such processes, the insurgents put forward Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with government,” he said.
Jonathan, who served as president from 2010 to 2015, said he had hoped that dialogue might have been easier once Buhari came to power, but “the insurgency still persisted.”
He described Boko Haram as more complex than often portrayed, and urged the current administration to adopt both incentives and pressure in tackling the crisis. “The issue of carrots and the stick may be adopted,” he said, questioning the source of the group’s weapons and suggesting foreign involvement.
Jonathan said the Chibok abduction remained a permanent scar on his presidency. “I pray that, perhaps one day, the leaders of this group will be literate enough to write a book or come out to tell Nigerians what Boko Haram was all about,” he added.
Representing President Bola Tinubu, Defence Minister Mohammed Abubakar Badaru said Irabor’s book provided guidance for Nigeria’s security strategy and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to modernising the armed forces and boosting intelligence and regional cooperation.
Dignitaries at the event included the Sultan of Sokoto Sa’ad Abubakar III, Catholic Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa and former National Security Adviser Babagana Monguno.
