Nigeria ranked 144th out of 163 independent states and territories in this year’s Global Peace Index based on their level of safety and peacefulness. According to the report, Nigeria sank one step from 143rd position it recorded in 2022 and two steps lower than her 2021 146th position. Curiously, the report placed several African countries like Mauritius (23rd) Sierra Leone (47th) Ghana (57th) Senegal (52nd) Libya (137th) Eritrea (133rd) and others ahead of Nigeria on the peace and safety index.
The study, which was produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace measures “societal safety and security, domestic and international conflict and the degree of militarization” in the countries and covers 99.7 per cent of the population. The report put Iceland as the safest country in the world, followed by Denmark, Ireland, and New Zealand, while Afghanistan (163rd) is placed as the least peaceful country in the world for the eight consecutive years, closely followed by Yemen (162nd), Syria (161st) South Sudan (160th) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (159th).
Europe is considered the most peaceful region in the world despite the war in Ukraine and habours seven of ten most peaceful countries. The report put the other three most peaceful countries in the Asia Pacific region. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) hug the rear as the world’s least peaceful region as they host four of the 10 least peaceful countries. In Africa, Nigeria is rated a lowly 37 out of 44 countries the report covered on the continent.
Nigeria’s poor ranking in the study is hardly surprising. The prevailing insecurity in the country has really not helped matters. Nigeria is reportedly one of the countries with the highest terrorism threat levels in the world. There are many militant groups operating in the country with attacks on military, security infrastructure, and civilian targets being on the increase. The North-East region has been grappling with insurgency from Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP).
States in the South-East and South-South regions are plagued by the violent activities of separatist agitators and militia groups. The so-called herders/farmers clashes are rife in the North-Central region. The herdsmen menace has affected food production in the zone. Kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative trade in many parts of the country. Between June 2011 and the end of March 2020, at least $18million was said to have been paid out to kidnappers as ransom. As of 2021, the terrorism index in Nigeria stood at 8.23 per cent.
It has been established that unemployment is one of the triggers of insecurity in the country. Sadly, the nation’s unemployment rate is growing. The unemployment rate rose from 27 per cent in June 2020 to 33 per cent in December 2020. The Nigerian Economic Summit Group says that the unemployment rate this year has already hit 37 per cent.
Poverty is another trigger of unemployment. Without tackling the triggers of insecurity, Nigeria will always rank abysmally low in global peace and safety raking. No doubt, unemployed people are easy recruits for insurgency, terrorism, banditry and other crimes.
Considering the rising insecurity in the country, government has to step up efforts to ensure security. We believe that this can be achieved through multi-sectoral approaches. Poverty reduction programmes should be given more attention. When people are gainfully employed, it will be difficult to engage them in criminal activities. Moreover, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons by criminal elements in the country must be reduced.
We urge the government to explore ways of seeking political solution in resolving some of the nation’s security challenges. We say this because kinetic approach alone will never resolve them. Not all conflicts are resolved through the use of force. There is need for dialogue in resolving security and other national challenges.
A society desirous of building sustainable peace should embrace dialogue as a tool in resolving conflicts. Let the government listen to the grievances of all agitators and other non-state actors disturbing the peace of the country. Therefore, the government should dialogue with all agitators with a view to achieving lasting peace in the country. Above all, government must begin to right the wrongs of the past. Let all grievances be frontally addressed.