Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has given special praise to five Super Eagles’ players while reacting to Nigeria’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, Round of 16 victory against Cameroon on Saturday night.

Sanwo-Olu, who watched the AFCON encounter on Television in Lagos, also urged Jose Peseiro’s side to keep the momentum forward as they qualified for the quarter-final.

Recall that a brace from Ademola Lookman gave Nigeria a 2-0 win over Cameroon.

In a series of tweets via his X account after the game, the government wrote, “I totally enjoyed the Super Eagles’ incredible display of teamwork and determination tonight against the team from Cameroon.

“From Osimhen’s hard work to Lookman’s brace to Ekong and Bassey’s very solid performances as well as Nwabali’s solidity, kudos to the entire team.

“Onto the quarterfinals! Let’s carry this momentum forward, Super Eagles. Best of luck in the next round, and may our journey in #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 continue to shine bright.”

Meanwhile, former Nigeria international, Nwankwo Kanu has reacted to Super Eagles’ 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, Round of 16 victory over Cameroon on Saturday night.

Reacting, Kanu, in a post via his X account, congratulated Jose Peseiro’s side and hailed their combined effort against Cameroon.

The Arsenal legend wrote: “KAN U BELIEVE IT YESSSSSSSS KANU BELIEVE IT Super Eagles Nigeria are on their way to the quarterfinals #AFCON2023. Combined effort everyone @ng_supereagles, more goals ahead congratulations.”

On his part, Nigeria attacker, Victor Boniface, who withdrew from the Super Eagles squad at AFCON due to injury, wrote: “Respect brother @victorosimhen9.”

[NationalDaily]

Last week, I had the honor of a deep dive conversation with very respected men and women of the press, from the traditional to the digital space, citizen journalists, bloggers and more. It is an interesting cohort, and I am sure that at the end of this initiative, the impacts would be felt. Let me quickly appreciate the Search For Common Ground’s Katlong, Daniel, Temisan, Emmanuela, Fatima Madaki, the Country Director, and all the wonderful souls and the work we all do in this space.

My presentation was about the complex dynamics at the intersection of religion and human rights in Nigeria, with a focus on striking a balance between the fundamental right to freedom of religion and the broader societal interests. Using real-world examples, the session explored the challenges and opportunities inherent in navigating religious diversity while upholding human rights principles with fixation on media practitioners. From issues of religious minorities’ rights to the impact of religious beliefs on public policies, the presentation offered insights into the delicate equilibrium required for peaceful coexistence. By examining specific cases and their outcomes, I sought to give them a nuanced understanding of the intricate relationship between freedom of religion and the collective interests of Nigerian society.

I sincerely hope as takeaway they were able to understand a little of the legal framework surrounding freedom of religion in Nigeria, a comprehensive examination of the constitutional and statutory provisions, as well as their practical implications.

I danced graciously around Constitutional Provisions:

• Nigeria’s Constitution, particularly Chapter IV, guarantees the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
• Sections 38 and 39 specifically address freedom of religion, ensuring individuals the right to practice, change, and manifest their religion or belief.

I looked at the Limitations and Exceptions:

• We collectively agreed that despite constitutional guarantees, there are limitations to freedom of religion, especially when it comes to public order, safety, morality, and the rights of others.

I encouraged them to further look up Religious Freedom Laws:

• By examining specific legislation related to religious freedom, such as the Religious Discrimination (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act.
• Exploring how these laws are enforced and their effectiveness in protecting religious minorities.

We touched a handful of Court Decisions:

• Analyzing landmark court decisions that have shaped the interpretation and application of freedom of religion.
• And also looking at cases involving conflicts between religious practices and other legal provisions or societal interests.

Conversations like these can’t be complete without Government Policies:

• Evaluating government policies that may impact freedom of religion, such as regulations on religious institutions, licensing, or recognition was important
• Assess the extent to which these policies promote or hinder religious freedom.

It was exciting listening to perspectives for Practical Implementation:

• Examining how freedom of religion is practically implemented at the grassroots level for media personnel.
• Encouraging journalists to investigate instances where there may be discrepancies between legal guarantees and actual experiences of individuals and communities.

And finally looking at Challenges and Opportunities:

• By identifying challenges faced by the media, the individuals or religious groups in exercising their freedom of religion.
• Explore opportunities for legal reforms or advocacy to strengthen religious freedom protections with the media personnel.

It was important that we x-rayed the Sharia Law Implementation:

• In some Northern states of Nigeria, the implementation of Sharia law has been a source of tension. Cases have arisen where individuals, often from minority religious groups, have faced legal consequences under Sharia law, leading to conflicts between religious freedom and the desire for a unified legal system.

Examine Religious Practices in Educational Institutions:

• Conflicts have emerged over the enforcement of religious practices in educational institutions. For instance, debates over the use of religious attire or the observance of specific religious rituals within schools have raised questions about the balance between religious freedom and the need for uniformity and inclusivity.

Discuss the Registration and Recognition of Religious Group and Interfaith Marriages:

• Issues related to the registration and recognition of religious groups have led to conflicts. Some groups may face challenges in obtaining official recognition, impacting their ability to practice and propagate their faith freely.
• Cases involving interfaith marriages sometimes face opposition or legal challenges, especially when societal norms or interpretations of religious laws conflict with the principles of freedom of choice in marriage.

My presentation looked at the Expression of Religious Beliefs in Public Spaces:

• Disputes have arisen regarding the expression of religious beliefs in public spaces. For example, debates over religious displays, public prayers, or proselytization activities may raise concerns about the potential impact on social harmony and the rights of individuals with different beliefs.

And the important issues surrounding Medical Practices and Religious Beliefs:

• Instances where medical practices conflict with religious beliefs, such as vaccination or blood transfusion, have sparked legal debates. Balancing individual religious rights with societal interests in public health and safety is a recurring challenge.

These examples demonstrate the complex nature of balancing religious freedom with societal interests in Nigeria. Legal cases and public debates surrounding these issues highlight the ongoing need for nuanced considerations and robust legal frameworks to address conflicts and protect individual rights.

Here are some key approaches that the journalists can navigate through:

• Legislative Clarity and Protection:
  • Establish clear and comprehensive legislation that protects freedom of religion while also defining reasonable limitations to prevent abuse. Legislation should aim to strike a balance that respects individual rights and considers the broader welfare of the community.
• Interfaith Dialogue and Understanding:
  • Promote interfaith dialogue and understanding to foster a sense of unity and respect among different religious communities. Increased understanding can reduce misconceptions and prejudices that may lead to conflicts.
• Education and Awareness:
  • Implement educational programs to raise awareness about the diversity of religious beliefs and practices. This includes incorporating teachings on religious tolerance, pluralism, and respect for individual choices within school curricula.
• Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution:
  • Establish mechanisms for mediation and alternative dispute resolution to address conflicts arising from religious differences. This allows for a more flexible and consensual approach to dispute resolution, minimizing the need for adversarial legal proceedings.
• Community Engagement and Participation:
  • Encourage active participation of religious communities in decision-making processes that affect them. Inclusive governance structures can help ensure that policies and practices respect the diverse religious landscape of the community.
• Human Rights Education:
  • Integrate human rights education that includes a focus on religious freedom into school curricula, professional training programs, and community outreach initiatives. This can empower individuals to understand their rights and responsibilities in a diverse society.
• Legal Aid and Advocacy:
  • Provide legal aid services to individuals facing discrimination or restrictions on their religious freedom. Advocacy efforts can focus on challenging laws or practices that disproportionately impact specific religious groups.
• Collaboration with Religious Leaders:
  • Engage religious leaders as advocates for religious freedom and tolerance. Religious leaders often play a significant role in shaping community attitudes, and their support can contribute to a more inclusive and harmonious society.
• National and Local Platforms for Dialogue:
  • Create platforms at the national and local levels where representatives from different religious communities can engage in constructive dialogue. These platforms can address grievances, share perspectives, and find common ground.
• Regular Review of Legislation:
  • Establish a mechanism for the regular review of legislation related to religious freedom to ensure its relevance and effectiveness. This process should involve input from diverse stakeholders, including legal experts, religious leaders, and civil society.

By adopting a multifaceted and collaborative approach, societies can work towards creating environments where individual rights and communal well-being are mutually respected and protected.

And in conclusion I opined that:

The role of media… in promoting understanding and tolerance in the context of religious freedom is crucial for fostering a harmonious and inclusive society. Here’s a discussion on their respective roles:

• Media:
  • Promoting Diversity: Media outlets can contribute to understanding by accurately and respectfully representing the diverse religious landscape. Highlighting stories that showcase positive interfaith interactions and initiatives can challenge stereotypes and promote tolerance.
  • Responsible Reporting: Journalists should adhere to ethical reporting standards, avoiding sensationalism or biased narratives that can contribute to misunderstanding and conflict. Responsible journalism includes providing context and avoiding the amplification of divisive rhetoric.
  • Educational Campaigns: Media organizations can initiate educational campaigns that raise awareness about various religious beliefs, practices, and traditions. This can contribute to breaking down stereotypes and fostering a climate of acceptance.

I believe that FoRB is an important conversation that we must collectively engage in, so that,  in the end—Nigeria will win!

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the 36 state governors in the country and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Mr Nyesom Wike to “disclose details of federal allocations meant for local governments in your state and the FCT and the actual disbursement of the allocations to the local governments since the return of democracy in 1999.”

The advocacy group also urged them “to promptly invite Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the actual disbursement and spending of federal allocations meant for local governments in their state and the FCT since May 1999.”

This is contained in the freedom of information (FOI) request dated January 27, 2024 and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, where he noted that Nigerians have the right to know the details of actual disbursement and spending of federal allocations in their state and the FCT.

Former president Muhammadu Buhari had in December 2022 stated that, “If the money from the Federation Account to the State is about N100m, N50m will be sent to the chairman but he will sign that he received N100 million. The chairman will pocket the balance and share it with whoever he wants to share it with.’”

States, FCT to be guided by transparency, accountability

• SERAP said, “States and the FCT should be guided by transparency and accountability principles and proactively publish information pertaining to their actual disbursement and spending of federal allocations meant for local governments.
• “Opacity in the amounts of federal allocations actually disbursed to local governments in your state has continued to have negative impacts on the fundamental interests of the citizens and the public interest.”

SERAP gives 7 days ultimatum

The FOI request from SERAP partly reads,

• “We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel you and your state and the FCT to comply with our requests in the public interest.
• “Transparency in the actual disbursement and spending of federal allocations meant for local governments is fundamental to increase accountability, prevent corruption, and build trust in democratic institutions, and strengthen the rule of law.
• “Implicit in the freedom of expression is the public’s right to know what governments are doing on their behalf, without which truth would languish and people’s participation in government would remain fragmented.
• “Transparency would ensure that the allocations are not diverted into private pockets, and increase public trust that the money would be used to benefit Nigerian resident in these local government areas.
• “SERAP is seriously concerned that years of allegations of corruption and mismanagement of federal allocations meant for local governments have contributed to widespread poverty, underdevelopment and lack of access to public goods and services in several states.
• “Ensuring transparency and accountability in the actual disbursement and spending of federal allocations in your state would also improve the enjoyment by Nigerians of their right to natural wealth and resources.
• “You have a legal responsibility to promote transparency and accountability in the actual disbursement and spending of federal allocations meant for local government areas in your state, and to ensure that the allocations are fully disbursed to the local governments.
• “SERAP is concerned that despite the country’s enormous oil wealth, ordinary Nigerians have derived very little benefit from oil money primarily because of widespread grand corruption, and the culture of impunity of perpetrators.’’

Over N40 trillion allocated to LGAs

• It added, “According to our information, the 36 states in Nigeria and the federal capital territory, Abuja, have collected over N40 trillion federal allocations meant for the 774 local governments areas in the country and FCT.
• “The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursed to states N225.21 billion federal allocations meant for local governments in November 2023 alone. States also collected N258,810,449,711.47 federal allocations meant for local government areas in December 2023.
• “However, there is opacity in the actual disbursement of federal allocations to the local government areas in your state. States and the FCT have over the years failed and/or refused to disclose the portion of federal allocations that are disbursed by state governors.
• “SERAP notes that former president Muhammadu Buhari recently alleged that state governors routinely pocket or divert federal allocations meant for local governments areas in their states.
• “According to Buhari, ‘If the money from the Federation Account to the State is about N100 million, N50 million will be sent to the chairman but he will sign that he received N100 million. The chairman will pocket the balance and share it with whoever he wants to share it with.
• “SERAP also urges you to provide details of the transparency and accountability mechanisms that have been put in place to ensure that the trillions of naira of federal allocations that have been received by your state and the FCT are not embezzled, misappropriated or diverted into private pockets.
• “Section 162(6) of Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) provides that each state shall maintain a ‘State Joint Local Government Account’ into which all allocations to local government councils from the Federation Account and from the Government of the State shall be paid.
• “Section 162(5) makes it mandatory that amounts standing to the credit of the councils will be allocated to the States for the benefit of their local government councils.” “Section 13 of the Nigerian Constitution imposes clear responsibility on your state to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of Chapter 2 of the constitution.
• “The public interest in publishing the information sought outweighs any considerations to withhold the information. Nigerians are entitled to the right to receive information without any interference or distortion, and the enjoyment of this right should be based on the principle of maximum disclosure.”

[Nairametrics]

The Nigerian Police Force has arrested a suspected kidnapper reportedly linked to the abduction and murder of Nabeeha, one of the victims abducted in Abuja.

According to a statement by Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Force Public Relations Officer, Bello Mohammed, 28, of Zamfara state was apprehended on January 20, 2024 in Kaduna with N2.25 million in suspected ransom money.

“The Divisional Police Officer, Tafa Division, acting on intelligence, raided one hotel in Tafa Area, Kaduna, where he arrested Bello, with the sum of #2.25m (Two Million, two hundred and fifty million naira) only, suspected to be proceeds of ransoms collected from kidnapped victims within the area.”

“The suspect, during interrogation, confessed to be part of the gang that kidnapped the family members of one Barrister Ariyo in Bwari, FCT, on 2nd January 2024, and killed some kidnapped victims, including Nabeeha, F, daughter of the legal practitioner, on 13th January, 2024, in a kidnappers camp, in Kaduna State.

‘’The suspect, in a dramatic situation, offered #1,000,000 (one million naira only) to induce the DPO, who rejected the offer and carried out his duty diligently,” the statement said.

Adejobi said the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, had ordered that the suspect, be handed over to the Department of Force Intelligence Tactical Teams (DFI-IRT) in Abuja for discreet investigations.

While commending the DPO Tafa, SP Idris Ibrahim, for the commitment and professionalism displayed in the case, the IGP further assured that the Police would leave no stone unturned in dealing with criminally minded individuals.

Daily Trust had reported how about 19 abductees were taken away by bandits from the Sagwari Estate Layout in the Dutsen-Alhaji area in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The kidnappers had killed four of the hostages, including Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, a 400-level student of Biological Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and 13-year-old Folashade Ariyo.

Nabeeha was abducted alongside six other siblings.

Her siblings were kidnapped with their father, Alhaji Mansoor Al-Kadriyar, from their home at Zuma 1, on the outskirts of Bwari town in Abuja on January 2.

[DailyTrust]

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has made four new appointments amid the State House Assembly voting to override him to pass four new bills into law.

The governor on Friday appointed Goodlife Ben as the Acting Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Tonte Davies as the Acting Administrator of New Cities Development Authority, NCDA, and Ine Briggs as the Acting Director General, Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP.

In a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Tammy Danagogo, the governor said the appointments take immediate effect.

On Friday, the Martins Amaewhule-led Rivers State House of Assembly voted to override Governor Siminalayi Fubara and pass four new bills into law.

The bills include the Rivers Local Government Amendment Law, the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Amendment Law, the Rivers State Advertisement and Use of State-Owned Property Prohibition repeal law, and the Rivers State Funds Management and Financial Autonomy Law.

The House decided on Friday during plenary after Amaewhule read four letters addressed to him by the governor, wherein he declined his assent to the four new bills which had been sent to him for assent.

According to the House, its decision relies on Section 100 subsection 5 of the constitution, which said the assent of the governor is not required for the passage of the bills into law.

The house stated that where the governor withholds assent and the bill is again passed by two-thirds majority of the House, the bill shall become a law and the assent of the governor shall not be required.

Amaewhule further accused the governor of having no plans of conducting local government elections in the state.

This is coming 24 hours after the Supreme Court upheld the election of Governor Fubara.

The assembly, led by Amaewhule comprises 27 members who are loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Four members of the State Assembly, formerly led by Edison Ehie, who has now resigned as Speaker and member representing Ahoada East Constituency 2, are loyal to the governor.

President Bola Tinubu had waded into the political crisis in the state, which is predicated on the rift between Fubara and Wike.

The intervention of the President had led the concerned parties in the crisis to sign an eight-point resolution (peace accord) to end the crisis.

[DailyPost]

The body of a young man, hands tied behind his back and bearing signs of brutalization relating to a suspected cult clash, was on the early morning of Sunday, January 28, discovered on a refuse dump in Makurdi, the capital of Benue state. 

The victim believed to be between 20 and 25 years old and of black complexion, was found with one ear missing. 

The incident occurred in the vicinity of Iorpuu Adai Street, Nyiman Layout, HUDCO quarters, in Makurdi. 

His assailants had placed his body in a sack before dumping it. 

The discovery was made by worshippers en route to morning service on Sunday.

Police said they are yet to be informed of the ugly incident.

Details later…

[TheNation]

Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assumption to office, Nigeria has been sleepwalking from one national security disaster to another, perpetuating the bloodbath in the North. The country is now thrown into a frenzy because the danger is closing in on Abuja the seat of power. Security agencies’ fire brigade approaches to these security threats only keep starring the hornets’ nests. 

This article is a call for an honest conversation on Nigeria’s security challenges, particularly banditry.

President Tinubu’s words, deeds and body language, have shown beyond any doubt that all he is interested in is to get into power and control the economy where he has brazenly and unapologetically planted his tribesmen in all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) that control and appropriate money. He sees national security issues particularly banditry as irritants and distractions to his grand agenda.

There is so much mistrust of this government because of its lack of transparency that people are seeing the recent spike in kidnapping in Abuja and the whole of the North as artificially engineered to justify the president’s clandestine grand agenda of relocating critical MDAs and eventually, the federal capital back to his hometown, Lagos. 

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Deteriorating security in Abuja and neighbouring states is being cited as a reason for the planned move of critical MDAs. The Presidency has so far remained tight-lipped in addressing people’s real concerns about these speculations.

Abuja witnessed worse real security threats during President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure, but as the commander-in-chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, he did not cut and run. So, the Presidency should come clean with Nigerians and tell us the real reasons for wanting to relocate the federal capital to Lagos instead of these embarrassingly sneaky and defeatist ones.

The new military leadership has been singing the same old song that Nigerians have heard over the last eight years without presenting any concrete plan on how they will do things differently to end Nigeria’s multiple security challenges.

 It is no secret that the wars on banditry, Boko Haram and Niger Delta militancy have all become fat cash cows for the military, which explains why these conflicts have been allowed to fester for this long. President Tinubu is unlikely to change this culture.

Although there is a very important role for the military, there is not going to be a military solution to banditry in Nigeria, the increasing militarisation of the conflict has so far been disastrous. The honest truth is that the military cannot bring peace between our peoples, to think differently, will be delusional. History has taught us that conflicts like this have never been won on the battlefield. 

Banditry is essentially a social problem that has been allowed to fester and mutate into the profit-driven criminal enterprise it has become. All the drivers of these conflicts are local and their solutions must be found locally. Big military plans from Abuja without involving local stakeholders have not worked over the last eight years and will never work. So, things must be done differently to bring an end to this conflict, which in my heart of hearts, I know can be solved with the right approach.

The increasing brazenness of the terrorists, abduction of female students, forced marriages of female captives, the use of explosives and attacks on police and military installations are all the modus operandi of Boko Haram, not bandits. We have for years been raising the alarm on encroachment of Boko Haram and its affiliates into the North West and North Central parts of the country and their unholy alliance with bandits. 

Overall, there is a lot more than meets the eye about these flare ups of violence in Abuja and the North in general. We have received several reports of gunmen in military uniforms killing Fulani herders and dumping their corpses around villages of locals populated by mostly Christians, just to incite reprisals. This is obviously not the handiwork of our professional military.

For an enduring peace, the goal should be to demilitarise this conflict and involve all local stakeholders for aggressive nationwide reconciliation between all communities, rehabilitation and disarmament of all warring parties. Otherwise, the war on banditry will be forever. 

We will just be going round in cycles if the financiers, collaborators, supporters and the leadership of these terrorists are not identified and prosecuted.

The Nigeria Police Force, a critical arm of law enforcement, has essentially abdicated its primary responsibility of internal policing to the military, reducing it to guarding VIPs or individuals and businesses that can pay. It is the police that are closer to the people, not the military that comes and goes. The Nigeria Police Force is dangerously under-resourced, understaffed, poorly motivated and has lost focus from its primary mandate.

At a time when the country is facing the worst insecurity of our lifetime and citizens are experiencing excruciating daily hardships, it is unfortunate that our elected representatives in the National Assembly are only fixated on their comforts and that of their families, not what matters most to Nigerians.

Equally worrisome is the fact that no two northern state governors are working together on finding lasting solutions to this conflict. Some of these governors have now resorted to forming their own armed militias to fight these terrorists because of the federal government’s failure to meet its primary constitutional responsibility of protecting citizens. 

The dangers of these ethnically non inclusive outfits are: there will be worsening of the violence and bloodshed, extrajudicial killings of the innocent by these militias and the real fears that some governors will use these militias to intimidate their political opponents. The federal government should, as a matter of urgency, increase the size of the military and the police.

Dialogue is a legitimate tool in resolving any conflict. Some new governors have declared that they will not negotiate with bandits and criminals, citing the failure of such efforts in the past as reasons. But past efforts cannot truly be considered as sincere dialogues.

For a true and genuine dialogue to succeed, the following steps will need to be taken – The federal government must support and take complete ownership of the process, the process should be led by experts rather than politicians, a comprehensive stakeholder mapping and identification needs to be done to bring in all stakeholders, and there should be a declaration of ceasefire to enable unhindered participation of all parties. 

Several federal government security agencies are widely reported to be currently engaged in dialogues with some bandits groups, mostly in the North West. Concerns we are getting from the field that will militate against the success of these dialogues are: There is no coordination among these many groups or a central reporting agency in charge of guarding the process, banditry is being approached in the dialogue as an ethnic Fulani problem rather than the national problem that it is, bus-loads of the Fulani from states in the North East that have no understanding of the culture or terrain of the people in the North West and North Central are transported to solve banditry in these zones, important local stakeholders are excluded, and money is said to be changing hands, mostly to select bandit leaders.

All these mistakes are a recipe for failure, with far-reaching consequences that will be very difficult to fix. 

Northern Nigeria needs to wake up to the systematic grand agenda to balkanise the region along ethnic, religious and economic lines. This evil agenda poses an existential threat to the region’s security, economy, social fabric and cohesion of its peoples, a rift that will take generations to heal.

Step 1: The decimation of the North East by Boko Haram insurgency, which has been raging for 15 years with devastating consequences.

Step 2: Banditry in the North West and North Central is perhaps the biggest threat to the peaceful existence of the North because, in addition to the serious security and economic consequences inflicted on the region, a seed of hatred has now been planted between ethnic groups, particularly between the majority the Hausa and Fulani that have lived in peace for generations 

Step 3: The North, which is home to 65 per cent of the 133million Nigerians in multidimensional poverty, has the most out-of-school children, highest unemployment and drug abuse among youths.

Step 4: Politics in the region, especially during the 2023 elections cycle, has been more divisive than anywhere else in the country. The ruling APC’s 2023 Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket has widened the divide between Muslims and Christians in the North, which is fueling religious strife not seen elsewhere in the country.

Step 5: The strained relationship with Niger Republic following the military coup on 26 July 2023 that led to ECOWAS sanctions and border closure on Niger is causing severe hardship on Nigerians in the seven northern states bordering the country and will no doubt worsen poverty and insecurity in the North.

As true leaders that live with and see the sufferings of their people, the dignified silence of our traditional rulers in the midst of all the injustices in the land only deepens the feelings of despair and hopelessness amongst people in the region, particularly the restless youths. People need to hear and see our traditional rulers getting more involved, collectively articulating their concerns and advocating them.

In the midst of raging insecurity, hunger, excruciating poverty and sufferings in the land, some northern Muslim clerics have allowed their silence to be bought. Instead of speaking up against these injustices and preaching the true words of the scripture, they remain silent. The most disturbing trend now is that a few vocal ones are fighting each other on the social media on frivolous issues. 

We northern elites that have seen and benefitted from a better Nigeria cannot, and should not continue to remain aloof to the state of the nation and the suffering of our people. We need to get positively engaged and give a voice to our voiceless many.

 Corruption remains far and away the biggest risk to Nigeria’s national security. Nigeria is a very richly endowed country that has no reason to be poor but the nation’s commonwealth is in the hands of a few. Peace will forever elude any society with as much corruption as there is in Nigeria. 

 No military, no matter how powerful, can bomb away injustices, grievances, poverty, citizens’ anger, hunger and illiteracy, which are the main drivers of insecurity. The government must invest in addressing these drivers instead of inexpensive military hardware that can never bring an end to this conflict.

Usman Yusuf is a professor of Haematology-Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation