150 million Nigerians affected by insecurity, says Ribadu

At least 150 million Nigerians have been affected by insecurity, Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA), said on Friday.

Ribadu spoke in Abuja at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).

The NSA said insecurity has wreaked havoc on agriculture, which he described as the backbone of most Nigerian families.

His words: “Security 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. Either you’re a farmer or from a family of farmers, so all of us, one way or the other, it has affected us. Insecurity has turned our lives upside down.

“When we come together, we are better off. 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 which is facing the challenges we are facing. Because we are big, we are huge in number. Populations that are affected by the insecurity in Nigeria may be in excess of 120 to 150 million.”

Ribadu called for a whole-of-society approach to tackle the root causes of insecurity, such as poverty, lack of opportunity, and social exclusion.

He warned that the current security challenges pose a threat to national stability, citing the collapse of neighbouring countries in the Sahel region 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,” he said.

He said military operations alone would not resolve the crisis and stressed the importance of non-kinetic solutions that focus on peacebuilding and development.