Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday revealed that his successor, the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, was the preferred choice of Boko Haram terrorists to negotiate with the government during his tenure as Nigeria’s President.

He also noted that the issue of Boko Haram was far more complex than often presented.

Jonathan made the disclosure during the public presentation of a book titled Scars, authored by the former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (Rtd) in Abuja.

Speaking at the official unveiling of the book, Jonathan recalled that his administration established several committees to explore peaceful solutions to the Boko Haram insurgency.

He recounted that during one of those processes, the terrorist group had nominated Buhari as their preferred negotiator.

“I felt it would have been easier for him, when he became President, to negotiate with them to surrender — but they still persisted,” he said.

He continued: “During one of the committee sessions, Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team in negotiations with the government. So I thought, if they had nominated him, then when he took over as President, it could have provided an easier path to engage them and get them to lay down their arms. But the insurgency persisted.”

Jonathan said Buhari’s inability to end the insurgency once in office demonstrated that the situation was more complicated than widely believed.

According to him, “If you conduct research and interview people, you’ll only get part of the story — not the full story of Boko Haram. I was there. Boko Haram started in 2009 when I was Vice President. I became President in 2010 and spent five years battling the insurgency until I left office. I thought that after I left, within a reasonable time, General Buhari would wipe them out. But even today, Boko Haram is still there.
The issue is far more complex than it is often presented”.

He stressed the need for a different, less conventional approach to tackling the insurgency.

“It’s not a matter of a single story. As a nation, we must approach the Boko Haram problem differently. I believe one day we’ll overcome it.
I want to thank General Irabor for documenting these events — I always appreciate those who write clearly about national issues.
That way, when we write our own accounts, we can draw from such documentation. I also believe that all military officers involved in the Boko Haram crisis should share what the group truly stood for,” he said.

Jonathan also emphasised that the insurgency could not be solely attributed to poverty or hunger, pointing out that his administration had tried various strategies that failed to yield results.

He said, “If it were only about hunger — because we tried different approaches — I don’t want to sound like I’m defending my administration. History will judge that when we document our own accounts. But I believe we did our best. We set up committees and explored multiple options during the five years I was in office. I believe the late President Buhari also did his best. Now, with the Defence Minister here and the service chiefs represented, I believe the government must adopt a slightly different approach. God willing, we will be able to resolve this crisis.”

Reflecting on his presidency, Jonathan said the 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls remains a permanent scar on his administration.

He expressed hope that, in the future, some leaders of the insurgent group might document their experiences — much like key figures from the Nigerian Civil War — to provide a clearer understanding of their motivations.

Jonathan explained, “One of the major scars on my government — and it will remain with me, 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 emerge — and that too relates to Boko Haram. What did they really want? Our chairman once raised the issue when he interviewed some of them, and they offered certain perspectives. I pray that one day, some of the Boko Haram leaders may become literate enough to document what they have done, so people can truly understand their objectives. It’s similar to how participants in the Nigerian Civil War later wrote about their roles.”

Jonathanurged the current administration to consider adopting a carrot-and-stick approach to tackle the insurgency that has lasted for over a decade.

He said: “The issue of the carrot and the stick may need to be adopted. Yes, there may be unmet needs, but if you look at the weapons they use—and assess their value—you will realise that these are not hungry people.
Soldiers who sometimes recover these weapons can see for themselves: the insurgents often have more ammunition than our troops. So, where are these sophisticated weapons coming from? You begin to see that external hands are also involved—especially during my time as President.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu praised General Lucky Irabor(Rtd) for demonstrating that effective military leadership goes beyond firepower and includes intellectual capacity.

He recalled that as Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, General Irabor confronted a significant national security threat with determination and pragmatism.

Represented by the Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, the President noted that former CDS mastered the complex nature of coalition warfare by harmonising four national armies to secure the Lake Chad region during his tenure as Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).

President Tinubu added that General Irabor’s book, Scar! Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum, is more than a historical account—it offers guidance for the present and a roadmap for the future.

“A scar tells a story. It reminds us of pain, but it also proves that survival is possible. Therefore, the scars we carry as a nation are evidence of our resilience,” he said.

Chairman of the occasion and former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, said investigations into the Boko Haram insurgency revealed that the group is largely driven by the search for a better life.

He urged the current administration to confront the threat posed by Boko Haram decisively, warning that failure to do so could allow it to grow into an unmanageable force.

He said: “As I noted partly in my foreword, this is the first time we are hearing directly from an insider—an eyewitness—speaking candidly, based on his knowledge and understanding, about Boko Haram and the insecurity we’ve faced for over 15 years under four administrations.”

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