Activist Nwanguma rues Nigeria’s 2025 As Nigerians exchange compliments of the season and look ahead with cautious hope, the year 2025 will linger in their memory as one of the most tragic and unsettling in recent history.
This is according to renowned activist, Okechukwu Nwanguma, who spoke with The News Chronicle correspondent in Lagos, on how the nation fared in 2025, and the 2026 outlook.
According to Nwanguma, from the North to the South, insecurity had tightened its grip, through terrorism, banditry, kidnappings, communal clashes, cult-related killings, and violent crime, with bloodshed now being normalized and the government appearing helpless and unwilling to protect lives and property.
The activist noted that Nigeria’s insecurity crisis is not merely a failure of capacity, but largely a failure of leadership, governance, and accountability.
Nwanguma, who is the Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC, said as 2026 beckons, platitudes and propaganda will no longer suffice, and the country must experience a fundamental shift in thinking and action.
He said the Federal Government must abandon reactive, militarised responses that prioritise optics over outcomes, and adopt a holistic, accountable, and people-centred security strategy.
Advocating security sector reform, the activist said the police, military, and intelligence services must be retooled for professionalism, accountability, and effective coordination, with unwavering respect for human rights.
He warned that the issue of decentralised policing can no longer be treated as heresy, regretting that Nigeria’s over-centralised policing model has failed to deliver safety.
“Devolving policing powers and resources, alongside well-regulated, properly trained, and accountable community-based policing, would enhance local intelligence, speed of response, and public trust,” he said.
Nwanguma urged the government to address the root causes of violence, including poverty, youth unemployment, inequality, land disputes, political violence, and a weak justice system, warning that without confronting these structural drivers, military deployments will remain ‘temporary bandages on a festering wound.’
Urging an end to impunity, Nwanguma said, “Whether the perpetrators are terrorists, bandits, criminal gangs, or state actors, justice must be blind and consistent. Selective prosecution and political protection of criminals undermine public confidence and embolden violence.”
On US support and international cooperation, Nwanguma expressed concerns that while it can be helpful, its overall impact depends entirely on its purpose, conditions, and oversight.
He said, “Such support should be welcomed only where it prioritises intelligence sharing and technical assistance; training anchored in professionalism, rule of law, and civilian protection; and capacity building rather than combat dominance. It becomes counterproductive when it strengthens abusive units without accountability, deepens militarisation, or turns a blind eye to human rights violations by Nigerian forces.
“Nigeria’s insecurity cannot be outsourced. Foreign support must complement, not substitute domestic political will, reform, and accountability.
“Nigeria should indeed pursue strategic alliances with technologically advanced countries. Technology can enhance security through surveillance and early-warning systems, data-driven intelligence and crime mapping, border security tools, and improved forensic and investigative capacity.
“But technology without good governance is dangerous. Surveillance tools must not be weaponised against journalists, activists, or political opponents—as has too often happened. Robust legal frameworks, judicial oversight, and transparency are essential to prevent abuse.
“Until the state demonstrates genuine commitment to protecting citizens rather than regimes, and to justice rather than power, insecurity will persist, regardless of foreign alliances or advanced technology.”
