Ezekwesili Reveals How Those in Power Benefit From Terrorism in Nigeria

Former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has accused people in positions of authority of benefiting from Nigeria’s prolonged fight against terrorism and insecurity.

Ezekwesili made the allegation while speaking during an interview with News Central Television, where she questioned the level of resources committed to the country’s security operations and the results being achieved.

The former minister said the continued insecurity across the country raises serious questions about how public funds allocated to fighting terrorism are being used.

According to her, Nigerians deserve clear explanations from those responsible for national security, particularly the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and the military establishment.

“Fighting terrorism is now an industry from which people who have the levers of power, starting from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to the military establishment, are benefiting.

“They need to be telling Nigerians what the performance is from the kind of trillions of naira that has been allegedly used to fight insecurity in the country. The results point to the fact of poor governance,” she said.

Ezekwesili’s comments come amid continued concerns over terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of violent crime in different parts of Nigeria.

She questioned why the huge financial commitments to national security have not translated into a stronger sense of safety for citizens.

The former minister also criticised what she described as the government’s failure to place the protection of citizens at the centre of its responsibilities.

She argued that when the state does not respond effectively to attacks on its citizens, it could embolden criminal groups and other enemies of the country.

“Joking with the life of your citizens is the way that you send a signal to the enemies that you cannot be bothered,” she said.

Speaking on the debate over the creation of state police, Ezekwesili said she supports the idea but stressed that the effectiveness of any security structure would depend on good governance and clearly defined responsibilities.

“Yes, but if we had good governance, the clarity of the mandates would be observed,” she said.

The Federal Government and other stakeholders have been considering reforms to the country’s security architecture, with supporters arguing that policing closer to local communities could improve intelligence gathering and response to crimes.

Ezekwesili, however, has previously argued that state police alone would not solve Nigeria’s security problems and has called for broader restructuring of the country.

She said the responsibilities of security institutions must be clearly separated so that agencies can perform their duties without unnecessary interference or confusion.

The former minister also expressed concern over the increasing involvement of the military in internal security operations.

She recalled a period when the Department of State Services faced challenges and said steps were later taken to restore professionalism within the agency.

“There was a time the DSS was degraded. A certain Adeola became the DG of the DSS and they began the reprofessionalization,” she said.

Ezekwesili argued that the police should ordinarily be the institution responsible for maintaining internal security and dealing with crimes within communities.

However, she said the Nigeria Police Force has not been able to effectively perform that role, creating room for the military to take on more internal security responsibilities.

“The police is not able to be that institution. This has gone beyond their pay grade. That’s why the military has become involved in internal matters of this kind,” she said.

Her comments come at a time when military personnel are deployed in several parts of the country to tackle terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other security threats.

Ezekwesili also addressed the possibility of the 2027 general election becoming a major turning point for Nigeria.

She said political changes do not always happen in a manner that can immediately be recognised.

“Sometimes turning points don’t announce themselves,” she said.

Ezekwesili also took aim at the National Assembly, accusing lawmakers of paying more attention to political survival and the next election than the welfare of Nigerians.

“Look at the National Assembly, we consider them to be a bunch of people who don’t really care about the citizens.

“They’re all interested in the next election. They say that statesmen think of the next generation, but lousy politicians only think about the next election,” she said.

She further criticised the wider political system, saying government institutions have failed to adequately fulfil their constitutional responsibility to protect Nigerians and promote their welfare.

“So, here they are, things are completely aground in terms of the functionality of the system of ensuring that what our Constitution places as a mandate of the government, that is, security and the welfare of the people is the primary responsibility of government, they don’t care to read that page,” she said.