Naijagossiper

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to dialogue with the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu , to curb the secessionist agitations instead of the deployment of soldiers in the South- East .
Obasanjo said this during an interview with the Newsweek Magazine .
The former President said , “I don ’t see anything wrong in that ( Buhari meeting with Kanu ) . I would not object to that ; if anything , I would encourage it.
“I would want to meet Kanu myself and talk to people like him, people of his age , ( and ask ) ‘What are your worries ?’ Not only from the South- East but from all parts of Nigeria ( sic ) . ”
Obasanjo, who led the final offensive that brought the civil war to an end in 1970 , said he had seen too many wars and it was time for Nigeria to move on .
He said he believed that enough dialogue had not been done by both the government and several groups .
The former President, however , said secession was not the answer.
He said , “Those who fought in the war in Biafra will not want to fight any other war. I fought in that war and it was an unfortunate war and I said I had fought one war too many in Nigeria ; I don’ t want to see another .
“The heavy boot is not the solution . I believe also whatever may be the frustration of any youth in any part of Nigeria ; I believe secession is not the solution .”
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 .
Some Igbo leaders have complained that President Buhari , who hails from northern Nigeria , has prioritised 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 .