150 Million Nigerians Affected by Insecurity, Says National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu

At least 150 million Nigerians have been affected by insecurity, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, disclosed on Friday during an event in Abuja.

Ribadu made the statement at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Counter Terrorism Centre and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. The agreement seeks to promote agribusiness and livelihood empowerment in communities affected by terrorism and violent extremism.

Highlighting the severe impact of insecurity, Ribadu emphasized the damage to agriculture, Nigeria’s primary occupation. He said, “Insecurity is the biggest problem we are facing in all sectors, but the biggest victim of insecurity is agriculture because when it came in, it interfered with our lives. Nigerians are farmers. It is either you are a farmer or from a family of farmers, so all of us, in one way or the other, it has affected us. Insecurity has turned our lives upside down.”

Ribadu called for unity in addressing these challenges: “We are better off when we come together. We must come together to give our people their lives back. Our people are in dire need of this. I don’t think there is any country in the world today facing challenges like we do. Because we are big, we are huge in number. The population affected by insecurity in Nigeria may be in excess of 120 to 150 million.”

He urged a comprehensive approach involving all sectors of society to tackle the root causes of insecurity, including poverty, lack of opportunity, and social exclusion.

The NSA warned that the ongoing security crisis threatens national stability, noting that neighboring countries in the Sahel region have collapsed due to insurgencies.

“We are the only ones still standing strong in the Sahel, and that is thanks to the efforts of our security forces. But we are in difficulty,” Ribadu remarked.

He also emphasized the need for non-military strategies alongside security operations to achieve sustainable peace and development.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Muktar Maiha, advocated for a shift from military focus to agricultural development in rural areas. He called on the government to “replace armoured tanks with tractors” and “replace machine guns with milking machines.”

Maiha added, “Once people are productively engaged, they will not be available for recruitment no matter the enticement, and this is what we are looking at. We want Nigeria’s countryside to be the symbol of what we want.”