Nigeria moves closer to becoming a failed state
The situation in Africa's most populous country is unravelling, and its president of five years appears to be making things worse

AYO ADEDOYIN
28 May 2020 • 4:35pm

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari
The clouds are darkening over Nigeria. Its government has just announced that it is unable to afford food imports, precisely when it needs them most.

The coronavirus pandemic has surged to almost 10,000 confirmed cases, and killed roughly 250 people, including the president’s Chief of Staff. Yet this is the least of my dual-country’s problems.

It is experiencing widespread food shortages, the rebirth of Islamic State (Isil) in West Africa after having being dislodged from Syria and Iraq, as well as political corruption, a media in thrall to President Muhammadu Buhari and – on top of all this – deadly diseases besides coronavirus, such as malaria.

Given the wasteland developing in Nigeria, home to 200 million people, one might have sympathy for its leader. But Buhari, an ex-military general, is seen in many quarters as somewhat complicit in the multiple layers of insecurity that bedevils the country.

He came to power in 2015 on a wave of hope from voters who looked up to him as the man to eradicate the twin evils of corruption and insecurity. Today, however, many would say that he has made both evils worse.

Indeed his own native clansmen of mainly migratory Fulani herders have been largely accused of working hand-in-hand with Islamic State West Africa (Iswap), currently rampaging through sub-Saharan Africa and orchestrating the brutal slaughter of innocent citizens, many of whom are Christian farmers.

These farmers are attacked not only for their land resources, but for practising a heretical faith in the eyes of Islamist extremists. Twelve of Nigeria’s nineteen northern states are under Sharia (Islamic law), and Christians in these states face discrimination.

The International Committee on Nigeria (Icon) recently reported that Boko Haram has killed 43,242 Nigerians since 2010. In addition, Fulani jihadists slaughtered 17,284 Nigerians since 2010, bringing the combined total to 60,526.

The true number is feared to be far higher owing to mass burnings, chaotic attack aftermaths, disappearances and population displacement.

It is shocking that all this is happening in a key Commonwealth member state and Africa’s largest economy, whose leader boasts a close relationship with Prince Charles.

Icon reports there have been 7,558 terrorist-related incidents in the last decade, with the insurgency far worse in Nigeria than in the surrounding West African countries.

Long before the murder of farmers is taken into account, this is already a massacre of Syrian proportions. But the news that Nigeria cannot afford to import food from abroad sheds more light on the suffering that the agricultural implosion will have on the whole country.

The Islamist-inspired massacres of Christian farmers, who have contributed immensely to Nigeria’s agriculture and domestic food production, mean that the threat of starvation hangs over the millions who have managed to escape the killing fields. Tragically, many of the most vulnerable in need of food are fleeing the violence and congregating in internal displacement camps prone to widespread coronavirus transmission.

It makes us question what Nigeria and President Buhari’s regime is doing with around £300 million a year of British taxpayer money in the form of foreign aid, especially if Nigeria can no longer afford food imports.

While the latest food crisis is virus-related and has been triggered by the crash in the oil price, one cannot completely ignore the pre-existing plight of vulnerable farmers, and the government’s failure to protect them from a nascent Islamic State hungry for power and resources.

The humanitarian group I lead, PSJ UK, has long warned that the carnage inflicted on Christians and other vulnerable groups in the emerging northern Nigerian caliphate will have repercussions for broader society, locally and internationally.

As I read of potential starvation in a country that was once called the ‘breadbasket’ of West Africa, I hope more than ever to be proven wrong.

Ayo Adedoyin is Chief Executive of PSJ UK, a humanitarian organisation campaigning against the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/28/nigeria-moves-closer-becoming-failed-state/

This is serious!

Righteousness89:
NIGERIA WILL NOT BE A FAILED STATE

Dude, that ship has already sailed!

Ayo, thanks for the concern you have shown.

But take note, Nigerians are great farmers.

Food produced in Nigeria, if none is exported will be sufficient in feeding the population.

Food shortage will hardly be a serious problem in the country as long as God Almighty continue sending us rain fall just like we have experienced already in this 2020.

If government provides fertilizer and other farmers' requirements then we are good, not necessarily importing food.

Currently in Nigerian food markets, the commodity is reasonably affordable.
You shouldn't forget that to import food is just another channel of throwing cash in the purse of the privileged few. Like they would say "if you know, you know".

Nigeria is already a failed state

Righteousness89:
NIGERIA WILL NOT BE A FAILED STATE

I love your optimism but Nigeria is already a failed state but we can rescue it

Move closer? A country that can't even fight terrorism in her territory is already a failed state

Na you dey move closer to becoming a Failed Human being

What kind of write up is this
Power= Failed
Water=failed
Economy=failed
Governance=failed
Schools=failed
COVID-19= failed (scam)
Politics= failed
What has not failed in this country is
corruption= passed
Nepotism/tribalism=passed
Boko men=passed
Insecurity=passed
Add your own

Nigeria a country blessed with natural resources, blessed with hard workers, blessed with intellect governed by idiots and lunatics.

Righteousness89:
NIGERIA WILL NOT BE A FAILED STATE

only when nigeria is restructure and Boko Haram, herdsmen are things of the past.

Only when nigeria has 24 hours light and stop the over reliance of oil.

Only when poverty, illiteracy and other bad things facing nigeria are stopped, if not nigeria will always be seen as a failed country

TheGodlessGod:
only when nigeria is restructure and Boko Haram, herdsmen are things of the past.

Only when nigeria has 24 hours light and stop the over reliance of oil.

Only when poverty, illiteracy and other bad things facing nigeria are stopped, if not nigeria will always be seen as a failed country

Personally what are u doing to better Nigeria?

Supermugu:
Na you dey move closer to becoming a Failed Human being

No be lie, SuperMugu

Righteousness89:


Personally what are u doing to better Nigeria?

by doing what a good cirizen do but it's like the "nigeria government" is making it impossible

Righteousness89:
NIGERIA WILL NOT BE A FAILED STATE

LETS LEARN TO BLESS OUR COUNTRY!

When you Curse the Nation , you are indirectly Cursing yourself and your People.

We are the ones that own the Country ..

Irrespective of Whatever, Let's Learn to Bless our Nation!

NIGERIA IS BLESSED! WE WILL CONQUER NO MATTER WHAT

Except something is done urgently

You are right about not cursing the country but it's unfortunate we don't have visionary leaders

TheGodlessGod:
by doing what a good cirizen do but it's like the "nigeria government" is making it impossible

Hahahaha!
My Brother! Don't Give up!

This is Just a Phase!

It will come to Pass!

Nigeria is a Great Nation with Great People!

We prophesy that although the world sees Nigeria as a failed state especially with a clown and failure like Buhari at the helm, God doesn't see it that way....

We will survive and grow up to select better leaders like Peter Obi, Fashola, Ambode, Sanusi etc, and Nigeria will rise to be a great nationi

yesloaded:

Except something is done urgently

You are right about not cursing the country but it's unfortunate we don't have visionary leaders

I Agree with you bro!
It's painful and Disheartening, I must be Honest!

Let's Bless our Country! There is so much Power in our Tongue!

This phase will Come to Pass..

irs already a failed state, waiting to pack up

Nigeria is already a failed state. The writer is still hallucinating.

Nigeria has already failed as a nation.
But God will take control of our own life...

Nigeria has been a failed state for a very long time..

You are not current

What is left is just a spark from a matches..


Boom!

We have heard....

Anything else?

Jokerman:
We prophesy that although the world sees Nigeria as a failed state especially with a clown and failure like Buhari at the helm, God doesn't see it that way....

We will survive and grow up to select better leaders like Peter Obi, Fashola, Ambode, Sanusi etc, and Nigeria will rise to be a great nationi

Buhari is the best president Nigeria has ever had since 1999.

I respect your opinion though.

Pusyiter:
What kind of write up is this
Power= Failed
Water=failed
Economy=failed
Governance=failed
Schools=failed
COVID-19= failed (scam)
Politics= failed
What has not failed in this country is
corruption= passed
Nepotism/tribalism=passed
Boko men=passed
Insecurity=passed
Add your own

poverty=passed

Proper Healthcare=passed

Lol, look at this one. Nigeria became a failed state long time ago. It's just that those living within it are scared of how they are going to move on.

Did Nigeria just become a failed state? There's no time the people of the country are happy about it, we have a sorry situation whereby the terrible previous government is succeeded by a worse one

It's already a failed State, peopled with docile minds tossed around by a dunderhead president.