Insecurity and food crisis
Samuel Oluwole Ogundele
NIGERIA, without fear of contradiction, is one of the most troubled segments of our contemporary global village. The country is on the throes of revolutionary change that does not necessarily need a violent method of approach. Nigeria is always in the news, not for working at the cutting edge of science and technology, but ugly developments, capable of taking us back to the Stone Age period. The negative forces staring us in the face include unbridled ethnic chauvinism, religious bigotry, material poverty, authoritarianism, unwarranted arrogance, population pressures, environmental degradation, and labour servitude. President Muhammadu Buhari has to embrace the principles of continuous, transparent communication or dialogue with Nigerians. He needs to show empathy, as a necessary first step towards practical solutions. Thus, for example, closing Nigeria’s international land borders for so long without increased local productivity leads to maximum food shortages. This scenario poses a major security threat to the fabric of our society. Unfortunately, the government does not believe that any world exists beyond its fantasy one, where the ordinary Nigerians are unimportant. Government has to demonstrate some emotional competence in order to achieve an equilibrium in the economy. A self-absorbed leadership cannot promote peace and progress. In other words, any leadership without a social connection, is a failure and an irritant to the led. The legitimacy of any leader derives from the people. Advisers or assistants to the president must not throw caution to the winds. There is an urgent need for a new direction of truth, where a double standard of morality has no place to feature, in the treatment of available evidence of our collective memories and histories.
