Connect with us

society

OurLivesMatter: South Western Nigeria Now Vulnerable To Banditry, As People Live In Apprehension and Instability

Published

on

 

#OurLivesMatter: South Western Nigeria Now Vulnerable To Banditry, As People Live In Apprehension and Instability

 

When Government sleeps, terror wakes. When Government fails, people suffer.

In the once peaceful towns of Southwestern Nigeria, fear now walks the streets freely. From the farmlands of Ondo to the villages of Osun and the highways of Kwara, gunfire and grief have become part of daily life. People now sleep with one eye open, praying that dawn will meet them alive. The hum of daily life has been replaced by the wail of grief and the silence of deserted farmlands.

This region, long known for its calm, culture, and commerce, is bleeding. Farmers no longer go to their fields. Traders close shops before dusk. Even schools struggle to stay open because parents are afraid to let their children out of sight. A cocoa farmer in Ondo, Adebayo, speaks with tears in his eyes. “I lost three workers to kidnappers,” he says quietly. “They asked for money I didn’t have. I left everything behind. Now I do menial work just to feed my family.”

His story echoes across the region. Every day, new victims are added to the growing list of those displaced, missing or killed. In some communities, villagers have fled entirely, seeking refuge with relatives or sleeping in churches. In Osun, widows gather in groups, sharing tales of pain. In Kwara, market women speak of journeys they no longer dare to take.

The tragedy in the Southwest is not only human but economic, with fear crippling trade and halting growth across the region. Small and medium-sized businesses struggle to survive while larger companies scale back operations or relocate entirely. In Ondo, a textile factory that employed over 200 workers shut down after repeated attacks on staff commuting from nearby villages. The losses forced dozens into unemployment, leaving families without income or security. Investor confidence has plummeted as local and foreign partners perceive the region as high-risk. The Nigerian stock market has reflected this unease, with banking, oil, and consumer goods sectors registering significant sell-offs, illustrating that insecurity is no longer a distant social problem but a tangible economic threat.

Farmers in Kwara and Osun are abandoning fertile lands after repeated raids. Tomatoes rot in trucks stranded on unsafe roads, and maize and yams spoil in storage because distribution networks cannot operate. Market traders recount how the cost of transporting goods has doubled, pushing prices of essential items like rice, beans, and pepper to levels ordinary families cannot afford. Inflation bites harder while income shrinks, forcing households into impossible decisions between food, medicine, and safety.

The disruption of commerce also hits long-term growth. Local entrepreneurs who once invested in expanding operations now hesitate, fearing losses and extortion. Foreign investors withdraw quietly, leaving jobless workers and empty factories. In Ibadan, a furniture company shut down its second branch after employees were attacked on the road, and in Ado-Ekiti, a small garment factory stopped production entirely due to insecurity-related disruptions. These are not isolated incidents; they reflect a regional pattern where insecurity has become a barrier to both opportunity and survival.

A roadside trader, Aishat, captures the reality in a few words. “We are living like refugees in our own land,” she says. “You can’t go to the farm, you can’t stay at home, you can’t even sell pepper in peace. The government has forgotten us.” Her pain is shared by millions who feel abandoned by a leadership more interested in photo opportunities than real protection.

Schools and health services are not spared. Parents in Osun now keep children home for fear of kidnappings. Clinics in rural areas operate with skeletal staff after nurses and doctors fled attacks or extortion attempts. Children miss lessons, farmers cannot attend training programs, and patients risk long journeys through dangerous roads to reach hospitals. These failures reveal how insecurity destabilizes every layer of society, from the economy to education and health.

Billions of naira are allocated every year for security, yet ordinary citizens sleep with one eye open. The same leaders who swore to defend the people now live behind barricades, guarded by convoys of armed men. The government’s failure is not just inaction; it is betrayal. It has allowed fear to become a permanent resident in people’s lives.

Communities are attempting to respond where government has failed. Vigilante groups and local security initiatives have emerged in some areas, but these are often under-resourced and operate under constant threat. In Ondo, villagers have organized nightly patrols after a series of kidnappings, but they admit that without official support, their efforts only offer temporary relief. This patchwork of protection highlights the absence of coherent policy and leadership at the state and federal levels.

The #OurLivesMatter campaign has emerged as a cry from the soul of a wounded region. It is not just another hashtag; it is the collective voice of those who refuse to die in silence. It calls on citizens, community leaders, and civil society to rise and demand accountability. Every Nigerian life counts, and the people will no longer accept excuses.

Southwestern Nigeria deserves better. Its people deserve safety, dignity, and peace. The time for government promises has passed. The people are demanding action, not speeches. Until those in power wake up to the pain on the streets, the cry will only grow louder. Because in the end, no government that fails to protect its people has the moral right to rule them.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

society

Rt Hon Treasure Edwin Inyang Appointed Secretary General to the Government of UKA (Worldwide)

Published

on

Rt Hon Treasure Edwin Inyang Appointed Secretary General to the Government of UKA (Worldwide)*

Rt Hon Treasure Edwin Inyang Appointed Secretary General to the Government of UKA (Worldwide)*

 

January 29, 2026 – A prestigious appointment has been announced in the reign of Emperor Solomon Wining 1st, recognizing Rt Hon Treasure Edwin Inyang as the *Secretary General to the Government of UKA (Worldwide)*. The official certificate, designated STE.001-1 E, was presented to Rt Hon Inyang during a ceremonial investiture.

 

As Secretary General, Rt Hon Treasure Edwin Inyang will *monitor and coordinate* the implementation of government policies and programmes, serve as an advisory institution to the Government, drive policy formulation, harmonization, and implementation, and oversee the activities of ministries, agencies, and departments.

 

The appointment was proclaimed by *Emperor Prof. Dr. Solomon Wining*, Emperor of the United Kingdom of Atlantics and Empire Worldwide, and co-signed by *Empress Prof. Dr. Sriwan Kingjun*, Empress of Attica Empire, under the auspices of the 5 Billions Humanitarian Projects Incorporated.

 

The ceremony underscores the commitment to strengthening governance and humanitarian initiatives within the UKA (Worldwide) jurisdiction, effective immediately in the reign of Emperor Solomon Wining 1st.

Rt Hon Treasure Edwin Inyang Appointed Secretary General to the Government of UKA (Worldwide)*

Continue Reading

society

GENERAL BULAMA BIU MOURNS BOKO HARAM VICTIMS, CALLS FOR UNITY AND RENEWED EFFORTS FOR PEACE

Published

on

GENERAL BULAMA BIU MOURNS BOKO HARAM VICTIMS, CALLS FOR UNITY AND RENEWED EFFORTS FOR PEACE

 

In a solemn message of condolence and resolve, Major General Abdulmalik Bulama Biu mni (Rtd), the Sarkin Yakin of Biu Emirate, has expressed profound grief over a recent deadly attack by Boko Haram insurgents on citizens at a work site. The attack, which resulted in the loss of innocent lives, has been condemned as a senseless and barbaric act of inhumanity.

 

The revered traditional and military leader extended his heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families, the entire people of Biu Emirate, Borno State, and all patriotic Nigerians affected by the tragedy. He described the victims as “innocent, peaceful, hardworking and committed citizens,” whose lives were tragically cut short.

 

General Biu lamented that the assault represents “one too many” such ruthless attacks, occurring at a time when communities are already engaged in immense personal and collective sacrifices to support government efforts in rebuilding devastated infrastructure and restoring hope.

 

In his statement, he offered prayers for the departed, saying, “May Almighty Allah forgive their souls and grant them Aljannan Firdaus.” He further urged the living to be encouraged by and uphold the spirit of sacrifice demonstrated by the victims.

 

Emphasizing the need for collective action, the retired Major General called on all citizens to redouble their efforts in building a virile community that future generations can be proud of. He specifically commended the “silent efforts” of some patriotic leaders working behind the scenes to end the security menace and encouraged all well-meaning Nigerians to join the cause for a better society.

 

“Together we can surmount the troubles,” he asserted, concluding with a prayer for divine intervention: “May Allah guide and protect us, free us from this terrible situation and restore an enduring peace, security, unity and prosperity. Amin.”

 

The statement serves as both a poignant tribute to the fallen and a clarion call for national solidarity in the face of persistent security challenges.

Continue Reading

society

When a Nation Outgrows Its Care

Published

on

When a Nation Outgrows Its Care.

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com

“Population Pressure, Poverty and the Politics of Responsibility.”

Nigeria is not merely growing. It is swelling and faster than its institutions, faster than its conscience and far faster than its capacity to care for those it produces. In a world already straining under inequality, climate stress and fragile governance, Nigeria has become a living paradox: immense human potential multiplied without the social, economic or political scaffolding required to sustain it.

This is not a demographic miracle. It is a governance failure colliding with cultural denial.

Across the globe, societies facing economic hardship typically respond by slowing population growth through education, access to healthcare and deliberate family planning. Nigeria, by contrast, expands relentlessly, even as schools decay, hospitals collapse, power grids fail and public trust erodes. The contradiction is jarring: a country that struggles to FEED, EDUCATE and EMPLOY its people continues to produce more lives than it can dignify.

And when the inevitable consequences arrive (unemployment, crime, desperation, migration) the blame is conveniently outsourced to government alone, as though citizens bear no agency, no RESPONSIBILITY, no ROLE in shaping their collective destiny.

This evasion is at the heart of Nigeria’s crisis.

The political economist Amartya Sen has long said that development is not merely about economic growth but about expanding human capabilities. Nigeria does the opposite. It multiplies human beings while shrinking the space in which they can thrive. The result is a society where life is abundant but opportunity is scarce, where children are born into structural neglect rather than possibility.

Governments matter. Bad governments destroy nations. Though no government, however competent, can sustainably provide for a population expanding without restraint in an environment devoid of planning, infrastructure and accountability.

This is where the conversation becomes uncomfortable and therefore necessary.

For decades, Nigerian leaders have failed spectacularly. Public education has been HOLLOWED out. Healthcare has become a LUXURY. Electricity remains UNRELIABLE. Social safety nets are virtually NONEXISTENT. Public funds vanish into PRIVATE POCKETS with brazen regularity. These are not disputed facts; they are lived realities acknowledged by development agencies, scholars and ordinary citizens alike.

Yet amid this collapse, REPRODUCTION continues unchecked, often CELEBRATED rather than QUESTIONED. Large families persist not as a strategy of hope but as a cultural reflex, untouched by economic logic or future consequence. Children are brought into circumstances where hunger is normalized, schooling is uncertain and survival is a daily contest.

The philosopher Hannah Arendt warned that irresponsibility flourishes where accountability is diffused. In Nigeria, responsibility has become a political orphan. The state blames history, colonialism or global systems. Citizens blame the state. Meanwhile, children inherit the cost of this mutual abdication.

International development scholars consistently emphasize that education (especially of girls) correlates strongly with smaller, healthier families and better economic outcomes. Nigeria has ignored this lesson at scale. Where education is weak, fertility remains high. Where healthcare is absent, birth becomes both risk and ritual. Where women lack autonomy, choice disappears.

This is not destiny. It is policy failure reinforced by social silence.

Religious and cultural institutions, which wield enormous influence, have largely avoided confronting the economic implications of unchecked population growth. Instead, they often frame reproduction as a moral absolute divorced from material reality. The result is a dangerous romanticism that sanctifies birth while neglecting life after birth.

The Kenyan scholar Ali Mazrui once observed that Africa’s tragedy is not lack of resources but lack of responsibility in managing abundance. Nigeria exemplifies this truth painfully. Rich in land, talent and natural wealth, the country behaves as though human life is an infinite resource requiring no investment beyond conception.

This mindset is unsustainable.

Around the world, nations that escaped mass poverty did so by aligning population growth with state capacity. They invested in people before multiplying them. They built systems before expanding demand. They treated citizens not as numbers but as future contributors whose welfare was essential to national survival.

Nigeria has inverted this logic. It produces demand without supply, citizens without systems, lives without ladders.

To say this is not to absolve government. It is to indict both leadership and followership in equal measure. Governance is not a one-way transaction. A society that demands accountability must also practice responsibility. Family planning is not a foreign conspiracy. It is a survival strategy. Reproductive choice is not moral decay. It is economic realism.

The Nigerian sociologist Adebayo Olukoshi has argued that development fails where political elites and social norms reinforce each other’s worst tendencies. In Nigeria, elite corruption meets popular denial, and the outcome is demographic pressure without developmental intent.

This pressure manifests everywhere: overcrowded classrooms, collapsing cities, rising youth unemployment and a mass exodus of talent seeking dignity elsewhere. Migration is not a dream; it is an indictment. People leave not because they hate their country, but because their country has failed to imagine a future with them in it.

And still, the cycle continues.

At some point, honesty must replace sentiment. A nation cannot endlessly reproduce its way out of poverty. Children are not economic policy. Birth is not development. Hope without planning is cruelty.

True patriotism requires difficult conversations. It demands confronting cultural habits that no longer serve collective survival. It insists on shared responsibility between state and citizen. It recognizes that bringing life into the world carries obligations that extend far beyond celebration.

Nigeria does not lack people. It lacks care, coordination and courage. The courage to align birth with dignity, growth with governance and culture with reality.

Until that reckoning occurs, complaints will continue, governments will rotate and generations will be born into a system that apologizes for its failures while reproducing them.

A nation that refuses to plan its future cannot complain when the future overwhelms it.

 

When a Nation Outgrows Its Care.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester

Continue Reading

Cover Of The Week

Trending