Ex-Speaker House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has come out to say that Nigeria is currently at a war with itself.

He recently revealed that the spate of insecurity in the country is nothing to write home about, and it must stop.

According to him, the South-West and South-East are fast becoming Nigeria’s new zones of instability, and the government keeps displaying a lack of absence in the country.

He added that the problem of ungoverned spaces in Nigeria where the government has lost the capacity to exert coercive power keeps leaving vast forested landscapes across the country for terrorists, bandits and criminals to feast on.

His words, “The South-West and South-East are fast becoming Nigeria’s new zones of instability. Added to this is the long list of other protracted conflicts, including but not limited to Boko Haram insurgency in the North East that has left scores of people dead and millions displaced; banditry in the North West; piracy and organised crime in the South-South and farmer-herder clashes in much of the rest of the country.”

“The problem of ungoverned spaces in Nigeria where the government has lost the capacity to exert coercive power or at best maintains a sporadic or weak presence, leave vast forested landscapes across the country for terrorists, bandits and sundry criminal cartels to use as sanctuaries and establish operational bases.”

“With an unemployment rate of over 30 per cent, epileptic economic growth; overburdened and overwhelmed security agencies coupled with weak institutional capacity within the security agencies; extreme inequality cum poverty and citizens alienation from the government, you need not look no further lot compounding factors. According to the Global Terrorism Index released on 27th November 2020, Nigeria is now the third-most terrorized country in the world.”

“With the above-painted scenario, we can no longer play the ostrich or pretend that all is well with us and our country.”

“We must say it as it is Nigeria is at war with itself. It’s like all roads lead to Golgotha. The dam has broken and we have reached an inflexion point. These are events that must change the way we think and act in order to walk Nigeria back from the precipice.”

“Something has been fundamentally wrong with Nigeria which we have tailed to cure.”

“Experts have linked insecurity in Nigeria to government’s failure or lack of capacity to deliver public services as well as prowed (or basic needs of the people.”

“This lapse creates a pool of frustrated people who are easily ignited by any event to be Violent. Also, inequality and unclaimed in appointment and distribution of public utilities create a perception of marginalization by a section of the people, especially the youth, who have a sense of disaffection and/or resentment.”

“The youth bulge means that our inability to place the youth on sustainable career paths has turned this useful demography from dutiful labourers to disaffected rebels.”

“There is no gainsaying the fact that unprofessional media reports also heighten insecurity among various groups and stakeholders Other causes of insecurity in the nation include but not limited to inadequate equipping and training of security personnel; loss of socio-cultural and communal value system such as collectivism and loyalty to authority; porous borders that enable untracked individuals and groups moving in and out of the country at will; extreme poverty, illiteracy and inveterate corruption.”