Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has described those agitating for the Republic of Biafra as criminals, 419ners, drug dealers who should be ignored by the government.
He stated this while granting an interview to PUNCH where he bore his mind on pro-Biafra agitations, Boko Haram war deadline, among other issues.
According to Baba as he is fondly called, the pro-Biafra leaders are looking to extort money from Nigeria.
He further said the Boko Haram war cannot end by December in apparent agreement with statements from General Yakubu Gowon.
According to Obasanjo, the military can only have the upper hand in dealing with the insurgents and drastically reduce their nefarious activities.
He said “Not as far as Biafra is concerned. We absorbed those we should absorb both into the civil service and into the military. Even those we didn’t absorb, who we initially regarded as being retired without benefit, later on we even gave them their benefits.”
“Abandoned houses were returned. Within 10 years of the end of the civil war, an Igbo man became the vice-president of our country. It took the Americans 100 years before they got to that point. So, what are you talking about? “
“They have held different ministerial positions existing in this country. We have Igbo as the Governor of Central Bank, Igbo has headed many parastatals in this country.”
“That’s why these miscreants should be ignored. They want to get money and they go round and say, ‘We are still being victimised. We are still being treated badly in Nigeria,’ so that they can take money from people.”
“I won’t blame the Igbo leaders. I will ignore them (the agitators). The Igbo leaders that I’ve talked about, I mean the ones I’ve mentioned; Joe Irukwu won’t go out and do that type of thing, and many of them.”
“The people who are doing this are the same people you will find in 419, they are the same people you will find in drugs. This (pro-Biafra agitation) is another source of money for them as far as they are concerned.”
“I’ve talked about that. You have to have an objective, otherwise, if you say go, and you don’t an objective… An objective is not cast in concrete.”
“Look, I want you to finish a job in two days though you know it could take probably four or five days, but you must give an objective.”
“I believe that what the President will get and which he knows he can get, is that he can get the upper hand; the military will get the upper hand over Boko Haram and of course, I think we are working towards that. But we will not get the end of Boko Haram in three months or in six months. And even when you get the upper hand militarily, you have to do what you have to do – the socio-economic aspect.”
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