The webinar, scheduled to hold on Tuesday, September 07,
2021, at 12 p.m. (WAT), is free for all to attend and will feature a diverse
panel of notable security experts. The panelists include Mr. Opeyemi Agbaje,
CEO and Executive Secretary, Ogun State Security Trust Fund, Dr. Olajumoke
Ayandele, Senior Researcher, Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project
(ACLED) Nigeria; Capt. Aliyu Umar Babangida (Retd.), CEO GoldWater &
RiverSand Consults; and Dr. Patrick Agbambu, CEO, Security Watch Africa Initiatives.
Mr. Ademola Ogunbanjo, General Manager, Business Support Group, Oando Energy
Resources, will moderate the session.
Nigeria is faced with an unprecedented security crisis, from
kidnapping to extremist insurgencies to clashes between herdsmen and farmers,
to name a few; almost every corner of the country is being hit by violence and
crime. Some have attributed the surge in insecurity to the staggering rate of
poverty across the country.
Boko Haram is expanding into new territories in the
North-east and fueling its extremist ideologies by taking advantage of the
country’s security challenges as well as the poor, unemployed and uneducated
masses. According to the United Nations, as of the end of 2020, conflict with
the group had led to the deaths of almost 350,000 people.
One of the panelists, Dr. Olajumoke Ayandele authored an
article titled, “Why Integrating Non-Military Actors in Security Strategies Can
Stabilize the Lake Chad Region”, in which she stated that “Since 2009, Boko
Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP),
have remained largely responsible for militant jihadist group activities in the
four countries bordering the Lake Chad: Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria. The
violence from the two groups has deepened instability, stifled economic growth
and engendered humanitarian concerns”.
Violent clashes between herdsmen and farmers have
exacerbated over the years. The death toll resulting from these clashes
continues to see an upward trajectory as herders move further South looking for
grazing ground.
A report titled, “Fulani Militias’ Terror: Compilation of
News (2017-2020)” revealed that herdsmen were responsible for 654 attacks,
killed 2,539 and kidnapped 253 people in Nigeria between 2017 and May 2020.
Continued tensions have led some state Governors to ban open grazing, which has
in turn led to friction with the Federal Government.
Banditry is also on the rise with more than 1,000 students
abducted from schools since December 2020, many only released after thousands
of dollars were paid in ransom.
According to a New Humanitarian article, entitled “The
Longshot Bid to End Rampant Banditry in Nigeria’s Northwest”, over 200,000
people in North-West Nigeria have been displaced from their homes as of January
2021, due to the insecurity posed by insurgent and banditry activities.
The World Bank in its 2021 Nigeria Development Update (NDU),
posited that the country’s economic growth is being hampered by heightened
insecurity, food inflation and stalled reforms.
Furthermore, the incessant herdsmen attacks on farming
communities have caused the Nigerian agricultural sector unquantifiable loss,
resulting in food import expenses exceeding revenue generated from exports by
395.44%.
The above are just a few examples of the different security
issues plaguing the country. On a larger and more disconcerting scale, the
insecurity has seen Nigeria rank 146th least peaceful country among 163
independent nations and territories, according to the 2021 Global Peace Index
(GPI).
The 2021 Fragile States Index report ranks Nigeria as the
world’s 12th most fragile nation. In Africa, Nigeria ranks as the 8th least
peaceful country after South Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Libya, Central African Republic, Sudan and Mali.
In an article on “Localizing Security, Safety in Africa” in
Thisday Newspaper on February 25, 2020, another panelist, Dr. Patrick Agbambu,
was quoted thus: “I have said that no meaningful development can take place in
Africa or any part of the world if security is not taken care of. The biggest
challenges we have in Africa is the issue of security and I believe that once
it’s resolved, development will begin”.
It is against this backdrop that the 6th edition of the
Oando webinar series will hold. The panelists, with combined industry
experience of over thirty years, will examine pivotal issues surrounding
security in Nigeria such as the effects of COVID-19 on insecurity, the role of
the Government in alleviating the current crises, possible international intervention
and collaboration, fundraising and deployment of artificial intelligence to
improve security, to name a few.
The multipronged insecurity challenges plaguing the country
continue to have grievous impact on all aspects of life for Nigerians, neither
respecting age, gender or class; a pointer to the fact that we all have a stake
in contributing to the restoration, stability and optimal functionality of our
nation.
This webinar therefore presents an opportunity for all
concerned citizens to join in the conversation to identify opportunities for
not just the Government but organizations and individuals, to play a role in
creating a more secure nation.