The British government has warned that Nigeria’s democracy is at the risk of destabilisation before the 2023 general elections. Though it noted that the police and army are in urgent need of reform, the United Kingdom said the solution to Nigeria’s instability does not lie in simply strengthening the police and army, but rather in building an effective social contract system.
Development Director, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Chris Beecroft, in a goodwill message at the launch of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Peace and Inclusive Security Initiative (PISI) in Abuja on Thursday, said conflict represents an existential threat to Nigeria’s unity and its development. Beecroft, who stated that Nigeria is facing peace and security challenges, added that: “The rise in conflict risks destabilising Nigeria’s democracy in the run-up to the 2023 elections.
“There is an active insurgency in the North East; farmer-herder conflicts are extending across the country; resource conflicts in the Delta; tension in the South-East; and banditry in the North West. “Conflict destroys lives, destroys livelihoods, destroys hope and ambition for the future. Conflict represents an existential threat to Nigeria’s unity and its development,” Beecroft stated.
He blamed this on the injustice and impunity, as well as weak justice institutions in the country, and expressed the view that peace and stability could be achieved when the causes of conflict in society are managed through strong, fair, and responsive governance mechanisms at community, state, or federal level. Beecroft added that the use of the police and army would only be part of the solution, and called for greater emphasis: “On reconciliation, mediation, arbitration, and access to justice – all vital components of a vibrant, resilient, and effective social contract.” According to him, proliferation of small arms and weapons and the weaponisation of social media, are drivers of conflict and instability.
He called for job creation for young Nigerians “so they have a stake in a prosperous and peaceful Nigeria,” adding, however, that “with the right commitment, dedications and support, there are solutions.” Beecroft stated that the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office recognised the important role the NGF plays in setting the peace and security agenda, and in building state and community level structures and institutions to reduce violence and respond to conflict and insecurity across Nigeria.
Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), in his remarks, decried what he described as “the instrumentalisation of violence,” noting that violence has become a commodity in Nigeria. Abubakar, Chairman of the National Peace Committee, who was repre-sented by Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, said Nigerians are averse to diagnosis. He disagreed that poverty is the cause of violence in Nigeria, arguing that China has about 300 million unemployed persons.
The former Head of State also condemned the spate of defections by politicians from one party to another, noting that “when a governor or senator defects, it has a destabilising effect. The problem of this decision spurs violence.” Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Dr. Kayode Fayemi said Nigeria, is still at the crossroads, adding that the level of insecurity across parts of the country is not only eroding citizens’ safety and peoples’ means of livelihood, but also threatening the expression of the rights of all Nigerians.
Fayemi, who is governor of Ekiti State, noted that the spate of violence and coordinated criminal activities have undermined government’s authority and waned public trust in recent times. He attributed the current security crisis in the country to several factors, “including an oversized population that the government is unable to cope with, a large number of poor people estimated at over 40 percent of the population who are living below $1 per day, and indeed, desertification which has affected over 60 percent of Nigeria’s land, as drought and climate change has continued to aggravate land deterioration in the country.”
Fayemi equally blamed the situation on proliferation of small arms and light weapons, which he said worsened and exacerbated the level of violence and fatalities. According to him: “Between May 2011 and February 2021, over 76,000 deaths were reported. “Mass displacement of persons from their areas of residence remains a challenge. At the end of 2019, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) reported a total number of 2,583,000 internally displaced persons who have been affected by conflict and violence in the country.”
