Military alone cannot wipe out insurgency – Obasanjo

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has declared that the use of only military operations to fight insurgency and other militant groups across the globe cannot end the disturbing menace.

A statement on Friday by the African Export-Import Bank, quoted the former president as making this remark during the bank’s 22nd Annual General Meeting held in Lusaka, Zambia.

Afrixembank’s spokesman, Obi Emekekwue in the statement quoted Obasanjo as saying that, “He proposed a carrot and stick solution to the conflicts on the continent through an approach involving military solutions and social development since a purely military approach would not work.

“According to Obasanjo, a situation, such as in Nigeria, where one section had an educational attainment level of 79 per cent while another had only 19 per cent, created room for conflict.”

He noted that by pursuing economic growth, each region of the continent would serve as a platform to strengthen Africa.

The ex-president further stressed on the importance of infrastructure in promoting intra-African trade and called for the establishment of a viable coastal shipping line from Dakar in Senegal to Maputo in Mozambique to improve intra-African trade.

The statement added, “Former President Obasanjo added that Africa should start adding value to its commodities rather than exporting raw commodities only for those commodities to be sent back to the continent as finished goods.”

Meanwhile, the Afreximbank on Saturday appointed Benedict Oramah as its new boss.

Oramah’s appointment was one of the key resolutions made during the bank’s AGM.

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