Why Nigeria Is Still Battling Terrorism — Moghalu

The former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and President of the African School of Governance, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, has attributed Nigeria’s long drawn war against terrorism to what he called failure of nationhood and absence of a common national identity.

Moghalu, who spoke on ARISE News, said the failure of the country to establish a common political, civic, ethnic and historical identity has undermined collective responses to security challenges.
Terrorism is still thriving because many Nigerians do not see the challenge as a common problem that requires a united response, he said.

Nigeria is unable to be a nation and that is why it cannot defeat terrorism. “We don’t see our problem as a common problem,” Moghalu said.

Countries under external threat can often mobilize effectively when citizens have a strong sense of nationhood and common purpose, the former presidential candidate said.

He said Nigeria’s internal divisions have made it difficult to achieve the level of unity needed to confront violent extremist groups and other security challenges.

“There is no nationhood, no common political, civil, ethnic and historical identity, and we are not internally united to resist external threats from terrorists,” he said.

Moghalu also cited persistent allegations of collusion between security agents and terrorist groups as further illustration of the deeper problems facing the country.

“We see this in the allegation of collusion between the security forces and the terrorists,” he said.

Nigeria has been fighting insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of violent crime, especially in parts of the North-East and North-West regions for over a decade.

Moghalu’s remarks come amid ongoing debates about the root causes of insecurity in Nigeria, with many analysts arguing that resolving the crisis requires not only military action but also stronger institutions, national cohesion and inclusive governance.