When it comes to security, Nigeria's political class bears the burden of responsibility

The author contends that Nigeria's security crises are fundamentally linked to its economic situation, where systemic poverty—exacerbated by political mismanagement and state failure—drives citizens toward crime. The paper details regional security threats, from jihadist violence in the North-East to oil theft in the South-South, and identifies specific failures such as the ineffective fuel subsidy regime, lack of infrastructure investment, and high youth unemployment. It concludes that without a shift toward selfless leadership and growth-oriented policies, the 2023 elections are unlikely to break this cycle of instability.

• Nigeria's security threats vary by region: the North-Central faces pastoral conflicts over waterways; the North-East is threatened by Boko Haram and its factions; the North-West is dominated by banditry and kidnapping; the South-East sees violence from the Indigenous People of Biafra; the South-South experiences large-scale oil theft and extortion; and the South-West deals with armed gangs.
• There is a direct correlation between poverty and insecurity in Nigeria, with the poorest regions—specifically the North-East and North-West—being the most insecure, and violence within other regions often limited to rural areas or highways.

APA

Nwanze, C. (2023). When it comes to security, Nigeria's political class bears the burden of responsibility. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/when-it-comes-to-security-nigerias-political-class-bears-the-burden-of-responsibility

Chicago

Nwanze, Cheta. When it comes to security, Nigeria's political class bears the burden of responsibility. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2023. https://afripoli.org/when-it-comes-to-security-nigerias-political-class-bears-the-burden-of-responsibility.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Nwanze |first1=Cheta |title=When it comes to security, Nigeria's political class bears the burden of responsibility |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=21 February 2023 |url=https://afripoli.org/when-it-comes-to-security-nigerias-political-class-bears-the-burden-of-responsibility |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nwanze2023when, author = {Nwanze, Cheta}, title = {{When it comes to security, Nigeria's political class bears the burden of responsibility}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://afripoli.org/when-it-comes-to-security-nigerias-political-class-bears-the-burden-of-responsibility}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }