Insecurity across African States is one of the many factors responsible for the stunted economic growth and development on the continent. Terrorism, banditry, ethnic conflicts, farmer-herder conflicts, and the like, are some of the issues constituting insecurity in many countries in Africa. Nigeria, a country in West Africa, has had its fair share of these problems.
A beleaguered Nigeria is faced with different categories of security crises, and all these could be attributed to one major factor; the failure of leadership to address underlying issues and deliver good governance. For example, the immediate past administration failed woefully to deliver on its promise to contain the menace of insecurity; hence the exacerbation of the five major security threats bedevilling Nigeria: Boko Haram insurgency, farmer-herder conflict, banditry, separatist insurgency, and oil militancy. In other words, not one region amongst the six geo-political zones is spared; insecurity proliferates across all regions in the country.
Meanwhile, the new administration of President Bola Tinubu has, under the same party, the All Progressives Congress, promised to tackle insecurity and ameliorate the sickly state of the economy. At the beginning of his campaign, Tinubu unveiled the party’s new slogan, ‘renewed hope’; promising to exterminate the incessant activities of the non-state actors to provide an enabling environment that is conducive, safe and secure for foreign and local investments. Apparently, this may not have been an easy task as the administration’s scorecard, after over 100 days in office, has not been impressive.
As a matter of fact, since the announcement of the removal of fuel subsidy during his inaugural speech, the cost of commodities has skyrocketed, making the economic situation very unbearable as the living condition for an average citizen has worsened. Fuel now sells at a cost that the average minimum wage earner cannot afford. The transportation of persons and commodities is difficult due to the fuel situation in the country. Perishable farm produce cannot be conveyed to the marketplace for consumers to buy due to the high cost of transportation; hence most of these produce go bad and become a great loss to the farmers. Many families now must depend on the support of their loved ones who work and live abroad to survive. Unemployment is expected to hit 37 per cent as projected by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group.
Tinubu is also contending with external issues, especially as the newly appointed leader of the Economic Community of West African States. It is general knowledge that most francophone countries in West Africa are faced with new threats of military coup de’tat which is an existential threat to democracy in Africa.
The democratic government in Niger Republic was some months ago overthrown through a coup. The ousted President, Mr Mohamed Bazoum, has been held in detention by the coup plotters since July 2023 when the military took over. Similarly, President Roch Kabore of Burkina Faso was ousted by his country’s Army in January 2022. The same wave of coup d’état was experienced in Mali when the then President, Mr Ibrahim Keita, was overthrown in August 2020. A successful coup d’état was carried out in Chad in April 2021, while Guinea and Sudan also had a similar experience the same year; September 2021 and October 2021 respectively. Moreover, Gabon is the latest African State where a military coup has taken place. In August 2023, the army suddenly announced the takeover of government from the incumbent, President Ali Bongo, who has ruled the country for 14 years. Since 2010, there have been over 40 coups and attempted coups in Africa, with 20 occurring in West Africa and the Sahel.
Apparently, the common denominator upon which the coup plotters predicated their main reason for hijacking a democratic process is corruption and lack of good governance. The danger in this trend not only lies in the fact that the affected African countries could be thrown back into the medieval age but also in the fact that it aligns with the principles of the contagion theory. In other words, the tendency for the ‘wildfire’ to continue to spread becomes the reality of the rest of the African States where democracy has survived or is still seemingly surviving. This is a threat that only the African leaders can either eschew or embrace; they have both ‘the knife and the yam.’ Something must be done to discourage unconstitutional military takeovers in Africa. Therefore, as the new leader of ECOWAS, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Tinubu should be ready to demonstrate his readiness and willingness to change the current ugly narrative, especially where West Africa, as a sub-region, is concerned.
Internally, insecurity in Nigeria is a multi-faceted and complex issue that encompasses several factors. As earlier highlighted above, terrorism is apparently becoming the most prevalent security challenge confronted by many African States, and by extension, the Nigerian state. It is as though Nigeria is becoming a breeding ground for terrorism. At the end of 2020, according to the United Nations, the Boko Haram insurgency attacks had claimed the lives of close to 400,000 people while millions had been displaced from their homes. The Nigerian economy has suffered a major setback due to the activities of terrorists who are determined to establish an Islamic caliphate.
Secondly, banditry is a plague on Nigeria’s economic fabric. With activities such as kidnapping, arson, cattle rustling, rape, sex slavery, human trafficking, killings, armed robbery, looting, illegal arms dealings, etc, one might question the safety and security of the Nigerian socio-economic space. For example, the kidnapping of schoolchildren from their classrooms and boarding facilities is gradually becoming the norm in Nigeria. Available records indicate that close to 3000 students may have been kidnapped since 2020 till date, and these victims would only be released after paying ransom! Unfortunately, the victims are mostly women and children. And in some cases, bandits would keep their young female victims as sex slaves.
Recently, the Katsina State governor, Dikko Radda, while reacting to the state of insecurity in the country, publicly remarked, ‘‘Terrorists freely buy weapons such as AK-47 and RPG in the market and that individuals should be allowed to do so to protect themselves.’’ If the Chief Security Officer of a state could make his frustration public in this manner, this is not only indicative of how helpless and vulnerable ordinary citizens have become but also indicative of the fact that possible sinister phases lie ahead.
Moreover, Tinubu will also have to contend with the incessant farmer-herder conflict. This poses serious threats to food security in the country. Even though there is a long history of disputes between nomadic animal herders and farmers in Nigeria, this problem is now further exacerbated by climate change. In other words, the farmers and herders contend over ‘shrinking’ land, water and grazing routes, hence, many have been killed in clashes over these limited resources. In recent times, for example, Adamawa, Plateau, Zamfara, Taraba and Benue states have experienced more devastation vis-a-vis farmer-herder conflicts in Nigeria. Over 700 deaths have been recorded in Benue alone, not counting other pockets of violence in other states due to similar issues. If a state like Benue, which is considered the food basket of the nation, because of its significant contributions to Nigeria’s economy through food production, is experiencing incessant unrest due to farmers-herders conflict, then the looming threat to food security in the country is real, hence this must be addressed promptly, and with all seriousness.
Finally, for quite some time, different separatist groups have sprung up in Nigeria. Some are claiming to have been marginalised, especially where the distribution of the country’s resources is concerned. Others complained about lopsidedness in political offices, segregation, neglect, etc. Most of these agitations have been aired in the various public fora by leaders of the members of these groups. Previous administrations endeavoured to address these problems but to no avail.
Tackling these problems requires a visibly clear demonstration of good governance vis-a-vis accountability, responsiveness, responsibility, sincerity, truth, determination, integrity and character, a strong political will, respect for the rule of law, and a full sense of loyalty to the people.
