Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has expressed concern over Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation in the wake of the recent Global Terrorism Index report, which rates the country as one of the most terrorizeda in the world.
Obi, in a message released on his X platform on Thursday, described the findings as a “painful indictment of failed leadership,” noting that Nigeria has experienced one of the largest rises in terrorism-related deaths.
He expressed concern that, although many nations are seeing a decrease in terrorism, Nigeria looks to be heading in the opposite direction, blaming the trend on bad governance and structural flaws.
According to him, “This trend is a direct result of misplaced priorities, weak governance, corruption, lack of rule of law, and the persistent neglect of security, which is the government’s most fundamental duty.”
The former governor of Anambra State underlined the country’s security challenges, which include the Boko Haram insurgency, the activities of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), frequent kidnapping, and brutal attacks by armed bandits in rural villages.
He regretted that Nigerians continue to die on a daily basis, while those in positions of responsibility have failed to take effective action.
“What is the purpose of government if it cannot protect lives? Why are we normalizing tragedy while other nations make progress?” Obi queried.
He advised officials not to accept the current state of insecurity as normal, instead encouraging them to take decisive actions to reverse the trend and ensure verifiable improvements in national security.
“This is not the Nigeria we should accept. We cannot continue down this path. It is time to move from excuses to action and from failure to measurable progress,” he stated.
Obi emphasized that a safe and secure Nigeria is a fundamental right of every citizen and must be prioritized by the government.
The Global Terrorism Index is widely recognized as a crucial indicator of terrorism’s global impact, and its most recent findings have raised new concerns about Nigeria’s security difficulties.
