The Presidency on Sunday accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of failing to act decisively during his tenure, allowing the early foundations of Boko Haram to take root and grow into the violent terrorist networks threatening Nigeria today
Presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare, in a statement shared via his verified X handle, @SundayDareSD, said, “Terrorism took root on his watch and grew because it was not stopped. It is historical fact that the ideological foundations and early cells of Boko Haram were incubated during Obasanjo’s civilian presidency.
While they recruited, indoctrinated, built camps, and flaunted authority, the state failed to act decisively. For the leader under whom the first seeds of terrorism were allowed to germinate to now issue public lectures is not just ironic, it is reckless.”
Dare dismissed recent comments by Obasanjo and others suggesting that the current Tinubu administration is incapable of protecting Nigerians, describing such remarks as hypocritical, misleading, and dangerous. He noted that Nigeria is now battling a complex terrorist ecosystem involving ISIS-linked and al-Qaeda-linked networks, violent extremist cells posing as bandits, cross-border terror gangs, and ideological insurgents operating in ungoverned spaces.
“The first seeds of terrorism were allowed to germinate under Obasanjo’s watch because of indecisive action. What started as a preventable sect later mutated into a violent insurgency and a regional terror franchise aligned with global jihadist movements,” Dare added.
He urged Obasanjo to acknowledge the failures that allowed terrorism to grow during his administration and to support ongoing efforts rather than publicly undermining Nigeria’s capacity. “A real statesman offers support, not soundbites,” Dare said.
Dare also highlighted that President Bola Tinubu is confronting a full-spectrum terrorist threat using a comprehensive strategy that combines modernised military operations, intelligence-driven interventions, governance restoration in underserved communities, counter-radicalisation programmes, economic stabilisation initiatives, and efforts to build trust with local populations.
“This administration will not be distracted by selective amnesia wrapped in elder-statesmanship, nor will it allow those who midwifed Nigeria’s early security failures to rewrite history,” Dare said, insisting that Nigerians must unite to defeat terrorism.
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