What is wrong with Nigeria?

Nigeria, the giant of Africa with a population of approximately 200 million of diverse and ethnic composition, is facing an existential threat. You don’t need to ask me why. Convincing evidence abound to tell you all is not well with the country. The country is at war with secessionists, bandits, kidnappers and the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents. These multi-faceted challenges keep increasing in leaps and bounds with government looking helpless. While bandits and Boko Haram are having a field day in North-west and North East states, some are championing Oduduwa nation and dishing out quit notice to other ethnic group. In the South East, another secessionist, Nmandi Kanu is causing havoc.

Can we say the South-south states are enjoying relative peace due to the amnesty granted to militias by the previous administration and maintained by the present government? Even with amnesty, the region is still battling with the high cases of cultism and vandalisation of oil pipelines.

This shows that the country is waging a survival war from different fronts. Why has the country found itself in this current insecure situation? Are there solutions in sight to these myriad of security challenges? Nigeria’s problems did not start today; it is a long chequered history of disagreement and grievances arising from how the country was birthed, structured and governed. Many Nigerians blame the current mess on the amalgamation of the country in 1914 by Fredrick Lord Luggard while others give other reasons.

Government should as a matter of urgency re-evaluate its policies in terms of capacity to improve the lives of Nigerians. There is the need for government to redirect resources to rural communities. These are the areas where majority of Nigerians live in poverty.

Ibrahim Mustapha Pambegua,

Kaduna

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