Nigeria's government is “playing to the media and not the problem” in its
approach to the al Qaeda-linked insurgent group Boko Haram, says one of
the oil-rich country’s wealthiest men. Orji Uzor Kalu, a newspaper executive
and former governor, is calling for direct talks with Boko Haram militants,
who have killed thousands of Nigerians since 2009, and he has offered to be
an intermediary. His call for negotiations comes as the U.S. government on
Monday announced a $23 million reward for the capture of the militants’
leader. “There is a smarter, more effective way to keep the Boko Haram from
growing into a force that will tear Nigeria apart, but so far the government
is playing to the media and not the problem,” Mr. Kalu said this week.
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, with more than 174 million
people, and the continent’s largest oil producer. Despite implementing
economic reforms, the government is still hampered by corruption and
widespread poverty as it battles an Islamic insurgency. Chairman of
Nigeria’s Daily Sun newspaper, Mr. Kalu, 53, is advocating a government
campaign to win the hearts and minds of people in the poorer, northern
areas of the country where Boko Haram operates, which he believes is
essential in stopping the bloodshed that has claimed more than 8,000 lives.
Last year, President Goodluck Jonathan grudgingly adopted a suggestion by
Mr. Kalu — offering amnesty to Boko Haram militants who agree to lay down
their arms. But the government so far has rejected Mr. Kalu’s latest call,
opting instead to launch high-profile military attacks against the insurgents.
Still, Nigerians and political observers are beginning to talk about the
prospect of Mr. Kalu, former governor of Abia State, vying to succeed Mr.
Jonathan as president in 2015. “Kalu is an experienced player in Nigerian
politics, with fresh ideas. He understands adversity; however, he is able to
view it through the lens of developmental opportunity,” said Zsolt Nyiri,
director of the Netherlands-based Institute for Strategy and Complexity
Management, which fosters entrepreneurship and philanthropy in Africa.
As a leading voice of the Igbo, one of Nigeria’s three major tribes, Mr. Kalu
believes he is the right person to open talks with Boko Haram. Mostly
merchants and farmers, the Igbo people have a strong sense of ethnic
identity, but they have been discriminated against and ostracized by non-
Igbo governments. During Nigeria’s 1967-1970 civil war, which devastated
their lands, U.S. National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger told President
Nixon that the Igbo were “the Jews of West Africa.” Mr. Kalu believes the
Igbo’s outsider status is an asset in not only persuading insurgents to lay
down their arms but also addressing challenges to Nigeria’s governance,
with corruption key among them.
Nigeria ranks near the bottom of Transparency International 2012
Corruption Perception Index, placing 139 among the 176 countries assessed
and marking a nine-point decline during Mr. Jonathan’s tenure. “We need
more consistency in our legal framework if multinational companies are
going to be comfortable doing business here,” said Mr. Kalu, who is also
chairman of an oil shipping and services company. “I look forward to the day
when foreign investors will come to see Nigeria as a safe and reasonable
and accountable place to do business.” He said now is time for change,
noting that no one from the Igbo tribe — which accounts for at least 20
million people — has held the presidency since the end of the civil war.
“Forty years is a long time, and Nigeria is ready to complete the circle of our
national identity,” Mr. Kalu said in discussing the prospect of an Igbo
presidency. “I’m not necessarily saying that person has to be me, but I do
believe it is essential to achieve the kind of balance my country needs to
move forward. Asked if he is running for president, Mr. Kalu smiled and
said: “I think our-yet-to-be-written history suggests our next president will
be an Igbo.”

source: http://p.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/5/nigerian-tycoon-offers-to-
initiate-talks-with-boko/?page=all#pagebreak

Original Igbo man dong hear $7million bounty. Why him no go offer to negotiate? Kalu d reward is not for negotiation but to catch d terrorist. So retink sha

We must kill Orji Kalu... How on earth will Kalu say we should engage in direct talk with Boko Haram?

No No No... We will rather kill everybody in the north.

Ndigbos, over to you... You wanted to hang norther leaders for asking for negotiation with Boko Haram instead of war. Can we hang Kalu for sympathizing with Boko Haram?

Southerners should stop bigotry and focus on the real issues affecting all of us.