(CNN) -- Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has said more could be done to reach out to the militant Islamist group Boko Haram to find out what leads it to carry out acts of violence.
In an interview with CNN, Obasanjo suggested the current government should adopt a dual-track approach rather than just cracking down on the group.
"To deal with a group like that, you need a carrot and stick. The carrot is finding out how to reach out to them," he said. "When you try to reach out to them and they are not amenable to being reached out to, you have to use the stick."
Obasanjo said President Goodluck Jonathan was "just using the stick" in his efforts."He's doing one aspect of it well, but the other aspect must not be forgotten."

Obasanjo said he had tried to reach out to Boko Haram about a year and a half ago through a lawyer who was acting as the group's proxy, and had asked if they had external backing.
The lawyer told him that the group was receiving support from other Nigerians who have resources overseas or "other organizations from abroad," Obasanjo said.
"If they had 25% support a year and a half ago, today that support has doubled," the former president said.
Analysts suggest that reaching out to Boko Haram may be increasingly difficult because the group has split into different factions, some with a domestic focus and others with a more pan-jihadi approach.
Resolving the issue is key to Nigeria's progress, according to Obasanjo, who now heads an eponymous foundation that is working to promote human security across Africa.
(Read more . . .)

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/08/world/africa/nigeria-obasanjo-militants/index.html

Obasanjo said President Goodluck Jonathan was "just using the stick" in his efforts."He's doing one aspect of it well, but the other aspect must not be forgotten."

Shameless thief,he deserves a hot rod in his arsehole.Where is the halliburton revelation thread?And why is it not on the front page?They will rather have all the crayfish topics like this one on the front page than fundamental issues that can save them.

Maybe Obasanjo should quiet himself and mind his own business.

Michaeljones36: Maybe Obasanjo should quiet himself and mind his own business.

Dont you think he has a stake. Maybe he's turn a new leaf and wants to play an elder statesman?