Driven by unresolved statehood issues, poverty, youth population explosion, environmental triggers, non-functional education and clueless leadership, the nation’s security crises is spiralling out of control, writes Louis Achi
The late scholar and economist, Dr. Pius Okigbo, once noted that what was unfolding in the nation’s socio-political arena was comparable to an Athenian tragedy but lacking the majesty of a Greek drama. A verdict delivered many years ago, Okigbo’s insight, strangely relevant, simply distils the damming failure of the ruling political elite.
Being Africa’s demographic and natural resources centre of gravity, much of the world believe Nigeria ought to lead the journey of transformative change on the continent and provide the leadership to raise Africa to her next level. But, then, charity must begin at home.
Smouldering in the six geopolitical zones are crises of different hues but nonetheless with fundamental interrelatedness. The emerging conclusion is that the rising security challenges and sundry crises seem to connect to other social-political issues like ethnic nationalism, poverty, youth population explosion, environmental triggers, inadequacy or lack of functional education and others.
When these core issues are juxtaposed with poor leadership, the consequences cannot be only imagined but are being felt by the majority of Nigerians today.
It is hardly far-fetched to assert that Nigeria today, especially, under the Muhammadu Buhari presidency, is more divided than ever. Ethnic nationalism is rearing its head in the South-East, South-West and Middle Belt with different political nuances – from the overt to the subtle. But, perhaps, most importantly and to the credit of Nigerians, the country remains one entity despite powerful forces that have challenged its growth and severely tested its resilience – but just by the whiskers.
At press time, it has been widely reported that bloody security operations are on-going in the South-East zone, especially, in Imo State, with soldiers allegedly disregarding basic rules of engagement. In Southern Nigeria and North Central zone, armed herders continue with their depredations despite the fact that Southern governors recently called out President Buhari in their ‘Asaba Declaration.’
Incidences of kidnap for ransom, armed banditry, secessionist activism and terrorist insurgency across board are scaling up with an over-stretched military practically treading water.
Recently, the nation’s security chiefs, including the Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor; former Chief of Army Staff, Ibrahim Attahiru (now late); the Chief of Naval Staff, Awwal Gambo and Chief of Air Staff, Isiaka Amao appeared before a jittery Senate in plenary.
Also, present were the Director Generals of the State Security Service, National Intelligence Agency, and the Defence Intelligence Agency as well as the Acting Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba. This was in response to an invitation by the Senate, over the nightmarish and intractable security situation in the country.
It is no secret that terrorists and sundry criminals are taunting the Nigerian State and the government appears clearly helpless. One of the most dangerous dimensions to the infamy playing out is that schools are being mercilessly targeted.
More than 1000 people have been abducted from schools in Northwestern Nigeria since December in a rash of kidnappings for ransom in the volatile region. Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai has repeatedly said his state government will not negotiate with “bandits.”
Clearly, with rising attacks against security agencies and their facilities in the Southeast, terrorist and criminal turmoil in the North and detectible threats and outright killings in the Southwest and South-South, many strongly believe the nation’s fate is hanging over the precipice. Many are also wondering why calls for separation are scaling up. Today, even respected statesmen are morphing into activists.
Recently, according to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning Minister, Zainab Ahmed, a total of N1,008.84tn was released to the Army between January 2019 and April 2021. There is pretty little correlation between such a budget and results delivered so far by the nation’s military in caging the raging insurgency.
Kabir Adamu, a security risk management and intelligence specialist believes the Nigerian Army had so far failed in its mandate despite the money released to it. He holds that Nigeria witnessed more cases of banditry, terrorism and kidnapping during the period.
His words: “What was the mandate given to them? Is it not to contain insurgency? Unfortunately, they have not justified it. If their mandate was also to curb banditry, they have not been able to do that.”
Adamu’s position was however countered by Col. Hassan Stan-Labo (retd.), a security specialist, who said the N1tn was not enough, describing it as a drop in the ocean. Stan-Labo, who described the defence sector as a capital-intensive venture, stressed that the sector’s neglect in the past years had created a vacuum, which made the funding by the Ministry of Finance insufficient.
According to him, “The defence sector has been neglected for too long by being starved of adequate fund and well-equipped inventory. This got this long, because as a nation, we are not security-conscious. Even under this dispensation, you can see that there is no seriousness.”
To turn around the nation’s current dangerous trajectory to a large extent depends on the president. It is to the extent of his success or failure in this regard that the verdict of history pivots.
