Nigeria: The Land of Our Birth

 By EJAIGUN BLESSING

Nigeria is a country that has fought war with the colonial and the British to gain Independence in October 1st 1960s, Independence, as we all know, is the key access to freedom as a right in Nigeria.

Now, Nigeria insecurity is no longer Distance concerned but a daily shadow Stretching across, communities, market, hospital and now the country School.

The recent surge in kidnapping has unsettled citizens, and raised serious question about the effectiveness of national security agency frame work.  

This independence was met to call for freedom but now , it became the opposite in the country society.

In a country where there is a parliamentary System of government and we have an elected president and his executive to put things right but No! either, what used to be episodic memory have evolved into a sustained compaign of abduction, Village raids and highway banditry  that exposed deep cracks in the country ability to protect its people.

According to punch, 8th October 2023 insecurity claim over 531 lives in four months and farms deserted, this led to the high commodity in Nigeria.

The reporter in daily trust, 11th may 2023 indicate "bandits have reportedly abducted many farms in kaffin-koro and adjoining communities in paikoro local government area (LGA )in Niger state.

At this point, masses protests erupt over crippling living costs and leadership failure. But still once a candidate is elected he forgets all his promises.

Now, thousand of citizens have being taken to the streets in major cities across Nigeria, demanding an immediate reversal of severe economy, policies, including the recent petroleum subsidy removal and still going for more loans. Nigeria  have unchecked government spending on vanity projects as proof of systemic failure.

In June 13, 2026 Rudolf okonkwo quotes "if writing satire, comes too easily, you are probably writing bad satire '' at the fall weight of bad judgement from the government top. Across many states, resident speak of fear as a constant companion, travellers avoid centain routes, farmer abandoned farmlands and families adjust their routines around the unpredictable violences.

Security agency, though making efforts, continue to appear overstretched and often reactive. The attacker strike quickly and vanished into unmapped forest, and resurface in another location day later.

Nigeria communities are grieving , while election is being planned. Government assurance rarely transform into long term relief. In a development that underscore, the urgency of the situation is shut down as a precautionary measure.

Oyo state has ordered the closure of all public schools, following the credible threats link to the activities of kidnapping gangs. In Kwara state, Jos, school across ifelodun, Ekiti, Irepodun, Isiri and oke-Ero local government area( LGA )have be closed over rising concerns of attack on vulnerable institutions.

This states mentioned has taken a similar steps, placing selected school on indefinite shutdown, according to the breaking news the northern region show that over 180 school have been affected by either temporary or ongoing closures linked directly to insecurity. This trend represent one of the most alarming signal in Nigeria when school begin to shutdown not because of strikes or infrastructure decay, but due to the inability of government to guarantee the safety of children, the crisis deepens. Crisis there and thou, masses will cast their franchise, what a country!

Oh God! The consequences are severe., have Nigeria offended any? The hospital is  no longer a save place, banditry has become organized, kidnapping become transaction in Nigeria.

Children and doctor being kidnapped and teachers beheaded., these trauma reduce widened educational inequality and disrupted learning displacement of pupils.

The broader insecurity plaguing the country is not without roots, years of ungoverned spaces, porous borders, arms proliferation, youth unemployed and centralized policy system have created fertile ground for criminal group to thrive.

The desperation of the economy system has allowed weak local intelligence in group of arms Men to wield, disproportionate influence in rural communities. Still, this moment is more than routine condemnation.

The communities should buy the ideas of intelligence to take precedence over brute force and also to be integrated into early warning mechanism., the use of technology should be placed, especially the aerial surveillance, communication, tracking and real time mapping of forest corridors, must shift from policy statement to operational development deployment.

The state should also be allowed clear legally backed in security role structure and no longer sufficient to spread across vast territories.

The government should listen to the people and address every issues that concerned them for a better country and government spending. The people want accountability in security spending, equality, and charity in strategy.

Above all, public trust has  already being weaken, this can only be rebuilt through visible and sustained action. Where they can secure assurance, that their children can sit in the classroom without fear.