Obasanjo Drops Bombshell: Boko Haram War Now A Lucrative “Industry” For Powerful Insiders
By Passman Akpos
In a powerful and unsettling revelation, former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has slammed Nigeria’s handling of its prolonged insurgency war, describing the Boko Haram conflict as an “industry” being sustained by beneficiaries within and outside government.
Speaking on Sunday during the globally streamed Toyin Falola Interviews, Obasanjo lamented that the 15-year insurgency has now lasted longer than the 30-month Nigerian Civil War, despite the trillions of naira spent on counter-terror operations.
The session featured two other national figures — Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese and former CBN Deputy Governor, Kingsley Moghalu, who dissected Nigeria’s deteriorating security landscape alongside Obasanjo.
“We Are Fighting Terror With Wrong Tools,” Obasanjo Insists
Obasanjo declared that Nigeria’s military strategy remains fundamentally misaligned with modern counterinsurgency principles, stressing that the nation has failed to combine the critical quartet of training, intelligence, technology, and specialised equipment.
> “The military is trained for conventional war. If the people you are dealing with are fleeing targets or living among your people, you will need different types of training.”
He pointed to Colombia’s success against guerrilla terrorists, urging Nigeria to learn and borrow expertise without pride:
> “Among the countries that have done that fairly successfully is Colombia. Should we invite them? There is no shame in that.”
“The Whole Thing Is an Industry” — Obasanjo Alleges Internal Sabotag
The former Head of State dropped a shocking allegation that sabotage, leakages, and collusion are deeply embedded in Nigeria’s security architecture.
> “The whole thing is an industry. It is an industry. Then you ask the military to be the ones buying equipment. It is not done.”
He warned that foreign partners hesitate to share critical intelligence with Abuja because of compromised military officers and infiltrated structures.
Ceasefire Opportunity Squandered by Government
Obasanjo also revealed that backchannel negotiations with Boko Haram in 2011 once led to a 21-day ceasefire — yet Nigerian authorities wasted the rare opening for peace.
> “They agreed to 21 days of ceasefire to negotiate. Government failed to reach out.”
After Trillions Spent — Nigeria Still Bleeds
Since 2009, Nigeria has poured trillions of naira into counter-terror efforts. Yet insurgency, mass abductions, and rural banditry continue across the North-East and North-West, forcing communities into ransom-funded survival.
Bishop Kukah and Moghalu echoed the sentiment that Nigeria’s worsening security collapse stems from poor leadership, wrong priorities, and dysfunctional coordination across agencies.
A Damning Verdict From a Former Commander-in-Chief
Obasanjo, who successfully crushed militant uprisings in the Niger Delta during his administration, repeatedly stressed that no country wins a modern insurgency with conventional military methods alone.
His verdict: Nigeria’s war is too profitable for some people to allow it to end.
The remarks have triggered fresh debate nationally, raising critical questions:
Who benefits from the endless war?
Can Nigeria fix its own security architecture?
Will Abuja seek foreign technical support?
One thing is clear — Obasanjo’s latest bombshell has reignited the national conversation on whether Nigeria truly wants the war to end.i
