Former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has blamed Nigeria’s worsening insecurity on leadership failures and deep-rooted structural problems affecting the country.
Fayemi made the comment on Monday night while speaking on ARISE News’ Prime Time programme, where he discussed the causes of insecurity and the need for Nigeria to address its wider national challenges.
According to the former governor, problems such as banditry, insurgency and other forms of insecurity cannot be treated separately from the leadership and structural issues facing the country.
He said Nigeria needs to first agree on the kind of country it wants to build and clearly define its national interests before it can develop effective long-term plans to deal with its challenges.
Fayemi explained that countries need a clear national vision and strategic direction to guide decisions on security, foreign relations, diplomacy and other areas of governance.
He noted that Nigeria has yet to fully settle the question of its national objectives and what the country should represent to its citizens. He argued that the lack of a clear direction has affected the way the country responds to major national issues.
The former governor also connected insecurity to other social and economic problems, including poverty, inequality and poor leadership. He said these issues have combined with the country’s unresolved structural challenges to create conditions that allow insecurity to persist.
Fayemi maintained that tackling banditry and insurgency requires more than security operations, saying the country must also deal with the problems within its political and social structure.
He said Nigeria would be better positioned to achieve national progress when its leadership challenges and structural weaknesses are properly addressed.
The former Ekiti governor further argued that having a clear understanding of Nigeria’s national interests would help the government develop a stronger strategy for dealing with both domestic and international challenges.
He added that the country needs to answer fundamental questions about its identity, purpose and expectations of its citizens before it can develop a lasting solution to some of its most serious problems.
His comments come amid continued concerns over insecurity in several parts of Nigeria, where banditry, insurgency, kidnapping and other criminal activities have remained major challenges for governments and security agencies.