Former President Goodluck Jonathan has disclosed that Boko Haram insurgents once nominated his successor, Muhammadu Buhari, to represent them in negotiations with the Federal Government.
Jonathan made this revelation on Friday during the public presentation of Scars, a book written by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (retd.), in Abuja.
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The former president explained that his administration had set up several committees to explore dialogue with the insurgents. In one of those efforts, he said the terrorists named Buhari as their preferred negotiator. Jonathan noted that when Buhari later assumed office as president, he had expected that such a link could help end the crisis. However, the insurgency persisted throughout Buhari’s tenure.
Reflecting on his years in office from 2010 to 2015, Jonathan described the Boko Haram conflict as far more complicated than commonly understood. He stressed that the insurgents’ access to sophisticated weapons showed the involvement of external sponsors rather than just local issues of hunger or poverty.
He also urged the current administration to adopt a new strategy that combines dialogue with firm military action.
Jonathan further lamented that the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014 remains one of the deepest scars of his presidency. He expressed hope that one day, leaders of the insurgency would document their actions, just as participants in the Nigerian Civil War did, to help Nigerians understand their true motives.
