Boko Haram on the run but not giving up – Obasanjo
- A former president Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday, May 22, said Nigerians are not lazy people
- The former president said Nigeria's only problem especially in the North-East is the activities of insurgents in the region
- Obasanjo called on the international community to help Nigeria tackle the humanitarian crisis ravaging the region due to Boko Haram menace
A former president Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday, May 22, said Nigerians are not lazy people.
Obasanjo while speaking at the donation of 35,930 kilograms of seeds by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to Borno state government in Maiduguri said Nigerians are not lazy and can feed themselves.
“We have to tell the world that our problem in the North East is not our inability to feed ourselves because we are lazy," Obasanjo said.
The former president said Nigeria's only problem especially in the North-East is the activities of insurgents in the region.
READ ALSO: Buhari still working, having meetings in London - Kachikwu
“Our problem has to do with the menace of Boko Haram and the insecurity that we have to face for the past years," he said.
Obasanjo however called on the international community to help Nigeria tackle the humanitarian crisis ravaging the region due to Boko Haram menace.
He said: "We call on the international community for help. Yes, the Boko Haram terrorists are on the run, but the Boko Haram menace has not been completely solved."
The former president who is an IITA ambassador said the international community has a role to play in food security in the region.
Also commending the Borno state governor Kashim Shettima for his stride in agricultural development in the state, Obasanjo said more needs to be done to ensure food saftey in the region.
“When I came in to the Farm Center, I saw this line of tractors, 1000 of them, I also saw combined harvesters complete with their implements.
“What stuck my mind was that we need to tell the world that our problem in the North-East is not because people are not willing or ready to work in agriculture.
“It has to do with the insecurity associated with the Boko Haram insurgency," the former president said.
Also speaking, the Borno state governor thanked the Obasanjo for his visit and for identifying with Borno people.
He said most of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) had started returning back to their liberated communities.
PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigeria’s #1 new app
Shettima said the provision of new improved varieties of maize, rice, millet, soyabean, sorghum, cowpea will help the state in completing its efforts in agricultural revolutionary drive.
He said the distribution programme will also address unemployment and hunger, and promised continued partnership with his government and IITA.
NAIJ.com recalls that Obasanjo had cautioned Nigerians to desist from troubling God over the challenges experienced by Nigeria.
The former president said until Nigeria gets its leadership right, the problems will continue.
Watch this NAIJ.com video of Emir Muhammad Sanusi blasting Nigerian leaders below: