They overlook global advances in science and technology and the reality that information is no longer confined within local borders. Information management, especially in a country facing security challenges, must be robust, sincere, and less defensive.
It must not tolerate grandstanding or reduce the issues to the schemes of political opponents and enemies of the coun- try. The current security situation in the country, combined with the volume of information available both domestically and internationally, requires careful examination and investigation.
It should aim to reduce tensions within the country. This can be achieved through co- ordinated efforts among political, civil society, and security leaders, along with a thorough review of both military and non-military security strategies.
Civil society voices, including those of professional groups, the Labour movement, and other key stakeholders, are crucial at this moment.
The international com- munity is more likely to listen to and trust the assessments of these groups regarding the country’s security situation than those of government officials who are defensive, reactive, and tend to blame political opponents for the current circumstances.
We must recognise that some Ni- gerians are confused about what the designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern by the United States of America entails both na- tionally and internationally. They do not grasp its significance or how it affects their daily struggle for survival. For some, the term genocide is complicated.
All they know is that certain communities are under strict control by bandits and insurgents. They seek a solution that enables them to reunite with their families and resume their daily lives.
Some Nigerians worry that they cannot use certain roads to reach their communities during festive periods because kidnappers and other criminals occupy the high- ways. They know that the government has a responsibility to pro- tect them, but are no longer sure whether some of the people on the roads are security agents or kidnappers and criminals disguising themselves as security agents.
Others fear that some communities have been infiltrated by informants who report to kidnappers and bandits, and the experiences of those who have escaped from kidnapper dens are too traumatic to recount.
Some of them know fami- lies who sold everything they had to pay ransom to kidnappers, and these kidnappers and their collaborators now live comfortably due to the suffering of others. In some communities, bandits have set up their own form of governance, establishing laws, rules,
and regulations for community life. They collect taxes and impose levies on the local population. Those who refuse to conform are aware of the consequences of disobedience, and some have paid the ultimate price for resisting the new regime.
Many of our people are in internally displaced persons camps, living under desperate conditions. With the withdrawal of most international organisations, their standard of living has declined. Children are becoming pregnant and giving birth within the camps— some are infants themselves, giving birth to babies.
Those in the camps have lost hope of returning to their ancestral homes; they have lost their houses, vehicles, household belongings, farmlands, culture, and traditions. Some have lost their breadwinners and live in anger.
Regarding the insurgents, bandits, separatists, and other groups in the forests, there is no reliable research or report on their demands and grievances. Some are simply criminals who kidnap for ransom and lead luxurious lifestyles. Negotiating a truce with these bandits, insurgents, and kidnappers is pointless because their motives are clear.
Paying them to stop kidnapping is futile; they may pause temporarily, but once they exhaust their funds, they will resume their criminal activities. The state should take a greater interest and be more involved in cases involving genuine grievances against the state or government.
Are their complaints related to urbanisation and land scarcity? Have we addressed the cases of herders and farmers with honesty and justice? As other countries modernise and adopt scientific methods to tackle traditional and cultural ways of living, the government seems stuck in out-dated methods.
It allows those who benefit from our differences to exploit religion and ethnicity as a buffer. Can the country’s security problems be linked to rising poverty among ordinary citizens and the unequal distribution of wealth? Are they rooted in structural inequality and the exploitation of ethnicity and religion for political gain?
These concerns can be genuinely tackled in the national interest. Sadly, we have permitted these issues to grow unchecked, and in some communities, criminals have hijacked the ‘struggle’, committing murders, rapes, and dispossessing people of their property.
The tragedy is that we refuse to confront these issues until they become more complex. Arming individuals and communities might of- fer temporary relief, but in the long term, the arms and ammunition could fall into the wrong hands, and the crisis will evolve and take on a different shape.
The recent tragedy involves the daring kidnapping of school children by bandits or hostile forces, the storming of churches, and the massacre of worshippers. Of course, kidnapping school children is not a new occurrence in Nigeria.
What is new is our failure to protect schools where the children of the poor are educated. The only response seems to be closing them down, while schools attended by the children of the wealthy re- main open and well-guarded.
Ultimately, all these children will sit the same exams, and the outcome is predictable, with inequality continuing to worsen and the anger of the poor growing. Why is Nigeria facing setbacks in the fight against insecurity when funds are allocated for purchasing ammunition for the troops leading the battle against the insurgents?
Where are these funds? Or are those in charge buying out-dated materials for the soldiers? Warfare has become digital, fought with drones and advanced warplanes. Where are our own drones and warplanes?
Apparently, the insurgents and bandits have acquired drones and other sophisticated technology, making them more lethal. We need to review our national security infrastructure to see if it has been compromised.
The government must consider alternative voices in addressing our security challenges. Where are the voices of civil society organisations? While it is correct to pursue the bandits and kidnappers causing distress to our people, the government should also draw on the experience, expertise, and international reach of civil society organisations.
The voices of these organisations are vital internationally, particularly in areas such as security, human rights, and development.
It must not tolerate grandstanding or reduce the issues to the schemes of political opponents and enemies of the coun- try. The current security situation in the country, combined with the volume of information available both domestically and internationally, requires careful examination and investigation.
It should aim to reduce tensions within the country. This can be achieved through co- ordinated efforts among political, civil society, and security leaders, along with a thorough review of both military and non-military security strategies.
Civil society voices, including those of professional groups, the Labour movement, and other key stakeholders, are crucial at this moment.
The international com- munity is more likely to listen to and trust the assessments of these groups regarding the country’s security situation than those of government officials who are defensive, reactive, and tend to blame political opponents for the current circumstances.
We must recognise that some Ni- gerians are confused about what the designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern by the United States of America entails both na- tionally and internationally. They do not grasp its significance or how it affects their daily struggle for survival. For some, the term genocide is complicated.
All they know is that certain communities are under strict control by bandits and insurgents. They seek a solution that enables them to reunite with their families and resume their daily lives.
Some Nigerians worry that they cannot use certain roads to reach their communities during festive periods because kidnappers and other criminals occupy the high- ways. They know that the government has a responsibility to pro- tect them, but are no longer sure whether some of the people on the roads are security agents or kidnappers and criminals disguising themselves as security agents.
Others fear that some communities have been infiltrated by informants who report to kidnappers and bandits, and the experiences of those who have escaped from kidnapper dens are too traumatic to recount.
Some of them know fami- lies who sold everything they had to pay ransom to kidnappers, and these kidnappers and their collaborators now live comfortably due to the suffering of others. In some communities, bandits have set up their own form of governance, establishing laws, rules,
and regulations for community life. They collect taxes and impose levies on the local population. Those who refuse to conform are aware of the consequences of disobedience, and some have paid the ultimate price for resisting the new regime.
Many of our people are in internally displaced persons camps, living under desperate conditions. With the withdrawal of most international organisations, their standard of living has declined. Children are becoming pregnant and giving birth within the camps— some are infants themselves, giving birth to babies.
Those in the camps have lost hope of returning to their ancestral homes; they have lost their houses, vehicles, household belongings, farmlands, culture, and traditions. Some have lost their breadwinners and live in anger.
Regarding the insurgents, bandits, separatists, and other groups in the forests, there is no reliable research or report on their demands and grievances. Some are simply criminals who kidnap for ransom and lead luxurious lifestyles. Negotiating a truce with these bandits, insurgents, and kidnappers is pointless because their motives are clear.
Paying them to stop kidnapping is futile; they may pause temporarily, but once they exhaust their funds, they will resume their criminal activities. The state should take a greater interest and be more involved in cases involving genuine grievances against the state or government.
Are their complaints related to urbanisation and land scarcity? Have we addressed the cases of herders and farmers with honesty and justice? As other countries modernise and adopt scientific methods to tackle traditional and cultural ways of living, the government seems stuck in out-dated methods.
It allows those who benefit from our differences to exploit religion and ethnicity as a buffer. Can the country’s security problems be linked to rising poverty among ordinary citizens and the unequal distribution of wealth? Are they rooted in structural inequality and the exploitation of ethnicity and religion for political gain?
These concerns can be genuinely tackled in the national interest. Sadly, we have permitted these issues to grow unchecked, and in some communities, criminals have hijacked the ‘struggle’, committing murders, rapes, and dispossessing people of their property.
The tragedy is that we refuse to confront these issues until they become more complex. Arming individuals and communities might of- fer temporary relief, but in the long term, the arms and ammunition could fall into the wrong hands, and the crisis will evolve and take on a different shape.
The recent tragedy involves the daring kidnapping of school children by bandits or hostile forces, the storming of churches, and the massacre of worshippers. Of course, kidnapping school children is not a new occurrence in Nigeria.
What is new is our failure to protect schools where the children of the poor are educated. The only response seems to be closing them down, while schools attended by the children of the wealthy re- main open and well-guarded.
Ultimately, all these children will sit the same exams, and the outcome is predictable, with inequality continuing to worsen and the anger of the poor growing. Why is Nigeria facing setbacks in the fight against insecurity when funds are allocated for purchasing ammunition for the troops leading the battle against the insurgents?
Where are these funds? Or are those in charge buying out-dated materials for the soldiers? Warfare has become digital, fought with drones and advanced warplanes. Where are our own drones and warplanes?
Apparently, the insurgents and bandits have acquired drones and other sophisticated technology, making them more lethal. We need to review our national security infrastructure to see if it has been compromised.
The government must consider alternative voices in addressing our security challenges. Where are the voices of civil society organisations? While it is correct to pursue the bandits and kidnappers causing distress to our people, the government should also draw on the experience, expertise, and international reach of civil society organisations.
The voices of these organisations are vital internationally, particularly in areas such as security, human rights, and development.
