Former President Goodluck Jonathan described the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014 as a permanent scar on his administration.
Jonathan stated this while speaking at the launch of a book authored by the former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor.
The book titled “Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum” was launch at at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja,
The former president added that he hoped some leaders of the insurgent group would eventually document their actions, similar to how key actors of the Nigerian Civil War wrote their own accounts, to provide clarity on the insurgency’s motives.
He said, “One of the major scars on my government—and it will remain on my face, as Bishop Kukah said, no plastic or cosmetic surgeon can remove it—is the issue of the Chibok girls.
“It is a scar I will die with. But perhaps later, more details may become known, and that too has to do with Boko Haram.
“What did they really want? Our chairman once raised the issue when he interviewed some of them, and they gave him certain perspectives. But I pray that one day, some of the Boko Haram leaders may be literate enough to document what they have done, so that people will truly understand what they wanted. It is similar to the story of the Nigerian Civil War.”
Jonathan urged the current administration to consider the carrot and stick approach to address the insurgency that has lasted over a decade.
He said, ” Issue of carrots and the stick may be adopted, and yes, probably the needs are there, but if you look at the weapons they use, and you value the weapons, then you know that these are not hungry people.
“So, the soldiers that sometimes capture some of the weapons will see better, but the weapons they use, the ammunition they use, sometimes they even have more ammunition than our soldiers.
“Where are these guns, sophisticated weapons coming from? And you begin to see that the external hands are also involved, especially when I was president.”
