Insecurity: OBJ, NSA in crucial meeting

THE National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki [retd], on Sunday, met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his Hill Top residence in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, over sundry national issues, particularly security matters.

His meeting with the NSA coincided with the hosting of a peace parley convened at the same venue by PDP leaders to resolve the protracted feud in the Ogun State chapter of PDP, which had pitched the former leader with some forces.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the NSA arrived at the residence of Obasanjo at about 12.35 p.m.

According to the source, two very close associates of the former leader had indicated their willingness to be part of the meeting but the former leader reportedly objected on the ground that it was planned to be a closed –door session.

Obasanjo has been one of the critics of the Jonathan administration over its approach to tackling the insurgency in the Northern part of the country, but it was not clear if the rising clamour by some senior citizens for amnesty for the militant Boko Haram members was discussed by the leaders.

While the comprehensive details of their discussions remained sketchy as of press time on Monday, a source, who was among the dignitaries that had converged on the same premises for the PDP meeting before Dasuki arrived, quoted Obasanjo Was saying the NSA said his visit was part of the ongoing general consultations on how to stem the problem of insecurity in the country.

According to the source, the former president said he was told that some persons were equally worried about what they saw as his body language, following certain developments in the political circle, especially in PDP.

Obasanjo was further quoted as claiming to have received another ‘emissary’ not long ago because of what was perceived as his tactical way of avoiding the authorities by electing to embark on foreign trips more frequently. However, he did not give the name of the emissary.

Meanwhile, Obasanjo has promised not to watch from the sidelines the unfolding events concerning the 2015 presidential election, another source at the PDP meeting, has said.

The meeting with PDP leaders, which began at about 1.45 p.m. and lasting for about three hours, was primarily designed to broker peace among the warring PDP camps in his home state.

He told the party members that he was not going to adopt the siddon look attitude, which he recalled that his close friend and former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, late Chief Bola Ige used as a metaphor for passive resistance against the Shenanigans that characterized the party politics of the Abacha era.

He said he would not only be on his feet but also remain an active player in the political horse trading as a prelude to the 2015 elections.

The source at the meeting said the ex-president, who appeared being gradually sidelined by some forces in the ruling PDP, said  no one should mistaken his current posture as an act of surrender as the battle for the 2015 election rages.

Obasanjo reportedly told the gathering that he had set three major objectives to be accomplished, which included playing a leading role in the next presidential election, ensuring his political camp reclaims his immediate constituency, Ogun State and winning the South-West, adding that he was already working with other like-minds across the country to build the necessary capacity towards attaining the goal.

At the meeting, the chieftains reportedly resolved that the governorship candidate of the party in the 2011 poll, General Tunji Olurin should become the PDP state leader while efforts would be intensified to cement all perceived cracks within the rank and file of the party.

Some of the dignitaries at the PDP meeting included a former Minister of Finance, Senator Jibril Martins- Kuye, Chief [Mrs.] Titi Ajanaku, Dr Gbadebo Oshinowo, Chief Sule Onabiyi, General Tunji Olurin [retd], Chief Johnson Oyewole Fasawe, a former governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Segun Oni and Seriki Niyi Adegbenro, who facilitated the PDP peace meeting.

Others were former ministers, commissioners under the administration of former Governor Gbenga Daniel, past senators and PDP members in the state House of Assembly former state chairman of the party, Elder Joju Fadairo, as well as other PDP elders since 1998.

Buhari blames FG
Former Head of State, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) has said that terrorism in Nigeria is not confined to the North alone and blamed the Federal Government for the state of insecurity in the country.

He spoke on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa Service programme monitored in Kaduna on Monday.

 According to him, it is the responsibility of the government to dig into the genesis of the Boko Haram crisis and know how best to bring the situation to an end.

He said “the world is very much concerned about two things, the issue of security and economic well-being of a nation. Security is number one. A nation can only be economically viable if there is security. But how did all these crises (Boko Haram) start?  How did the crisis begin and assume this dimension?

“The other ones (Niger Delta militants), who possessed weapons and had been abducting people and collecting money. Up till now, everyday they abduct people and collect ransoms. How was the problem reduced? How did it start and what method was employed to convince them to mellow down? Now, what we should look at is how did Boko Haram start and what was done to the group?

“We know all these. Security is the responsibility of the government. It is the responsibility of the Federal Government to know how this thing started and how to go about it,” he said.

On whether he supports amnesty for the Boko Haram sect, Buhari said government should know their leaders.

“How many times did they come out to say these are the leaders…. even they once said Boko Haram has agreed that I should lead in the dialogue, but I don’t know them, so how can I do that when I don’t know these people and their mission?

“Where are they getting the terrorism skills? Where are they getting the money? Where do they buy the guns? Do they have sponsors outside who want disaster in Nigeria, to destroy the economy and break the nation? Or is it something else?” he added.

When asked how he would tackle the problem if he found himself in the position of leadership, he said there should be a pattern of administration in communities where any strange person that comes in is known and whatever anyone  indulges in is known.

“But do they even know what political parties people belong to, let alone people who come in and make bombs and kill people in the market places, mosques and churches? It is important to know the leadership and why this thing started and the way to stop it...it is necessary to know their leadership….in my opinion, what they are doing has nothing to do with religion, no religion that we know permits anyone to kill and destroy, especially the known religions in Nigeria, Islam and Christianity,” he said.
Tribune