Why insecurity persists in Nigeria- Tinubu

• Published On: 24 June 2024 at 20:48

President Bola Tinubu has described Nigeria's continuing instability, particularly in the country's northwestern area, as the result of inherited security compromises.

The president went on to say that the banditry and insurgency in the country are a result of historical injustices meted out to the unfortunate victims of warfare.

Reflecting on his inaugural speech a year ago, Tinubu stated, "We promised to make Nigeria safer, and this goal has been our top priority since we took office."

Tinubu made the remarks on Monday during a two-day security and peace summit in Katsina State hosted by the North-West Governors Forum in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme.

Shettima, who represented Tinubu at the event and read the President's speech, stated, "Beyond the economic rationale that propelled the amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria, the establishment of our magnificent nation was driven by the need for mutual protection.

"But, I wonder, how can we accomplish this precious goal if one portion is afflicted? We've long known that whatever ails one side of this federation destabilises the other. So, national security in the North West is not a sectional concern.

"The path to redeeming the security compromises we inherited was laid out before we began this adventure. We realised that reaching the peace we seek requires confronting the historical injustices that have divided communities.

"We must also address the institutional flaws that control security and the economic dysfunctions that make people vulnerable to crime. We must also resist the intellectual distortion that has infiltrated the regional discourse on peace and security.

"The answer we seek is a region in which all trade is safe, all groups are at peace, and the state's policing and military presence is optimal.

"This disintegration, from cycles of clashes between herders and farmers, has ruptured the ideas of oneness upon which the North revolved."This was followed by a regime of livestock rustling, which led herders to violence.

"Over the past decades, we have seen how these land-use disputes drove farmer-herder conflicts, as climate change depleted our arable land and water resources, as our security forces were overburdened, as unauthorised arms proliferated conflict zones, as corruption undermined our search for solutions, and as criminal and insurgent elements exploited the complexities of our crisis to cross our borders.

"What we are witnessing across the North is an explosion of these damaged relationships and we have come to say: enough is enough."Our initial decision was to entrust the region's defence and security to our brothers in the North West and North East.

"Our military forces, via various operations such as Operation Hadin Kai and Operation Safe Haven, have fulfilled their commitment to the nation by eliminating insurgent groups like Boko Haram and bandits who have kept us hostage for far too long.

"We disrupted and dismantled criminal networks using better border security and intelligence capabilities.


"To develop practical answers to our security issues, we are increasing collaboration among the Services and other security authorities to provide a coordinated approach.

"The kinetic and non-kinetic interventions we have pursued are designed to strengthen the perimeter of our security infrastructure so that every child who goes to school returns safely, every person who embarks on a trip arrives safely at their destination, every trader who goes to the market conducts their transactions without fear, and every farmer plants seeds and harvests their produce in safe environments. "We cannot accomplish this unless we work together."

Dikko Radda, Chairman of the North-West Governors' Forum and Governor of Katsina State, stated earlier in his welcome speech that, while the battle against insecurity is ultimately a federal responsibility, everyone must work together to combat the plague.

Radda added that "banditry has cast a shadow over our communities." It has disturbed lives, hampered economic activity, and created terror among our people. We cannot let this menace define our region.

"As leaders, we must take a holistic approach that involves effective information collecting, community policing, and the deployment of new security technologies. Furthermore, we must strengthen our national security forces with ongoing advances and enough resources."

Elsie Gyekyeua Atafauh, UNDP representative in Nigeria, stated in her remarks that the security and peace summit project was a critical step towards supporting development and building the foundation of peace in Nigeria's Northern area.

"If Nigeria must retain the position of a giant of Africa, we must pay attention to the North-West," according to her.