Columnist Lasisi Olagunju has defended his earlier position that Northern Nigeria must confront the root causes of terrorism and banditry if the country is to avoid a looming security catastrophe.
According to him, his previous article was intended as a wake-up call and an appeal for the release of abducted Yoruba schoolchildren and their teachers held by terrorists. However, instead of prompting introspection, it generated criticisms and accusations that he was unfairly blaming the North for crimes committed by a few individuals.
Olagunju noted that some retired northern generals and Professor Rufa’i Ahmed Alkali argued that northerners are themselves the biggest victims of terrorism and banditry, making it unjust to place collective responsibility on the region.
Responding, the columnist maintained that while northerners are indeed victims, the region must also address the conditions that nurture and sustain criminality and extremism. He argued that being victims does not remove the responsibility of tackling the source of the problem.
Using an analogy involving fictional characters Kako and Bako, Olagunju said suffering from a problem does not absolve people from addressing its origins. He compared Nigeria’s security situation to a collapsed dam, stressing that disasters are usually preceded by ignored warning signs and weak foundations.
He rejected suggestions that he was shielding President Bola Tinubu from blame because they share the same ethnic background. According to him, the President has the responsibility of securing the country, but military operations alone cannot permanently end terrorism if the conditions that produce terrorists remain unchanged.
He stated that eliminating terrorists without addressing poverty, ignorance and social decay would only lead to the emergence of new recruits, likening the situation to killing pests without destroying their breeding grounds.
Olagunju called for social reforms and improved education across Nigeria, particularly in the North, saying children need quality education, marketable skills and values that would give them a stake in society.
He also praised Dr. Zainab Suleiman Buhari for urging northern leaders to confront issues such as poverty, child neglect and uncontrolled population growth, warning that failure to address them would continue to fuel crime, banditry and terrorism.
According to him, Nigeria’s challenge goes beyond the battlefield and requires deliberate efforts to close what he described as the factories that produce despair, ignorance, criminality and extremism.
