Dialogue with Nnamdi Kanu, the only way out – Obasanjo tells Buhari

Obasanjo said he will encourage any move to bring back peace in the land.

“I don’t see anything wrong in Buhari meeting with Kanu. I would not object to that,  rather I would encourage it.

He said he believed that enough dialogue had not been done by both the government and several groups.

“I would want to meet Kanu myself and talk to people like him, people of his age, and know their problems one on one.

The former President, however, said secession was not the answer adding that those who fought in the Nigeria/Biafra civil war will not want to fight any other war.

“I fought in that war and and many others but that one was an unfortunate war; I don’t want to see another.”

He added: “The heavy boot is not the solution. I also believe that secession is not the solution to whatever may be the frustration of any youth in any part of Nigeria.”

The former President, who was also the military head of state from 1976–1979, said economic development in the country was the only way to solve the various agitations across the country.

Mr. Nnamdi Kanu is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)  agitating for freedom in the South-East.

Due to the agitations and criminal activities in the region, the Nigerian Army recently launched its Operation Python Dance II in that part of the country.

The launch of the operation led to skirmishes between Nigerian soldiers and IPOB members, leading to a wave of unrest in the region, especially in Aba, Abia state.

On Friday, the Nigerian Army declared Mr. Kanu’s IPOB a “terrorist organisation”.

Hours after the Army’s declaration, the South- East governors’ forum at a meeting in Enugu also proscribed the separatist organisation.

Some Igbo leaders have complained that President Buhari, who hails from northern Nigeria, has prioritized the development of other parts of the country to their detriment.

“We need to satisfy the youth in job creation, in wealth creation, in giving them a better, fulfilled life, in giving them hope for the future. There’s no easy way out,” he said.

IN