“I did not defend Boko Haram!” – Sanusi responds to Thisday story

by Chi Ibe

“It is straightforward and clearly there is some mischief here”

-Sanusi Lamido.

Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has taken to citizen journalism website, Sahara Reporters to clear up the news circulating that he is justifying the acts of Boko Haram.

Yesterday Sahara Reporters published a personal message from the CBN governor titled; “That ThisDay Story By CBN Governor Lamido Sanusi”. In the short messaged Sanusi said: “My attention has been drawn to a story in ThisDay today which suggests I justified BH activities because of uneven distribution of resources and derivation funds to the Niger Delta. I haven’t read the story (as I am just on way back from Davos) but would like to issue this clarification to this network.”

Titled “Sanusi Links Boko Haram to Derivation” the ThisDay report quoted Sanusi from his interview with the Financial Times as saying: “There is clearly a direct link between the very uneven nature of distribution of resources and the rising level of violence.”

But Sanusi claimed the interview with the Financial Times was done long before these bombings indeed part of it had been used in the FT review of Nigeria late last year. “It is straightforward and clearly there is some mischief here,” he said.

Sanusi continued:

“I have long held the view that ethnic and religious violence in Nigeria has its roots in poverty and deprivation and perceived marginalization. I always said this about the militancy in the delta while fully condemning it, the truth remains that militants tapped into a groundswell of frustration. In addressing that problem we have gone to an extreme now where the levels of poverty in the north are recreating the same conditions and results we saw in the delta. I made more or less the same points in interview with David Frost shown on Al Jazeera yesterday and I think to be repeated Sunday. I hope this clarifies the position and urge anyone interested to read the FT piece which in my view was harmless enough and reflected the substance of my thoughts on the matter-that poverty and marginalization create conditions of the possibility of radicalization.”

 

 

Comments (4)

  1. Boko haram do not have a cause that makes sense. The militants were fighting against exploitation of their land and under-development. These are the facts. Shikena!

    All the northerners; elites, etc, supported Boko haram when the killings started, but now they have become a big uncontrollable thorn on every flesh.

    Now they are all scared, because they can no longer control this monster they've created.

  2. If truly they are a rebel group fighting for justice and for the islamization of this country then how come they are more concerned with inflicting pains on the northerners. If u've been tracking the death tolls n attacks. They r far higher on the muslims n northerners and not the christians or the southerners. To begin with, the violence emanated from Borno rendering the state's weather abysmal n incompartible with peace. Lately it has trickled down in form of a distant metastasis to engulf the second largest city in the country and a Northerner's business point. People killed were mainly muslims n Northerner's n not Christians. The group however is planning on launching another attack in Sokoto if their demands r not met by the sultan. I've just be wondering the future of the North n the muslims in the forthcoming years. Now r they really for or against islamization?? A conspiracy I call it n islamization in disguise.

  3. All Sanusi has succeeded in doing is confirm the ThisDay report. Shame!

  4. Liar. All of them northern leaders and 'intellectuals' were busy some months ago justifying Boko Haram. El Rufai said they are a rebel force fighting for justice. Today, Boko Haram has become a sore thumb on their hands.

    It's a grave error to compare Boko Haram to the Niger Delta militants. The former didn't kill people, they just made things difficult for the oil economy to run. They were ready to negotiate. They weren't religious in nature. This Boko Haram on the other hand are a jihadist group seeking the impossible ie the Islamisation of Nigeria, they kill innocent people, bomb churches and murder Christians. They are not the same kind of group.

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