Former Nigeria president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has claimed that the founders of Boko Haram told him that poverty and unemployment drove them into insurgency.

Obasanjo also warned that the 20 million out-of-school children in the country were a breeding ground for more “Boko Haram members of the future”.

He stated these while speaking at the launch of a book titled, ‘Pillars of Statecraft: Nation-building in a changing world’ written by his daughter, Dr Kofo Obasanjo-Blackshire, in Lagos.

“During the early days of Boko Haram, when the man who started the movement was said to have been killed, I said I wanted to meet with the members of the group to talk to them and know what they wanted.

“I met with their representatives and found out that they needed nothing but a better life for themselves. Can we blame them for wanting a better life for themselves?

“They said they believed in Sharia Law. I told them that Sharia was not a problem in Nigeria. It is part of our constitution,” Obasanjo said.