Sahel Insecurity: Poverty, Unemployment, Climate Change To Blame – Abdulsalami

Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, has attributed the insecurity in the Sahel region to poverty, unemployment, climate change, weak institutions, and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

Abdulsalami made this statement at the News Agency of Nigeria’s inaugural annual lecture in Abuja, emphasizing that these factors have created a fertile ground for insecurity to thrive.

“At the heart of the insecurity in this region, among other factors, are the undercurrents of poverty and unemployment, and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. Also weak governance, and institutional failures, as well as climate change and environmental degradation,” he said.

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He further stressed that Nigeria’s security challenges are closely tied to those of other countries in the region, and that collective effort is necessary to address the issue.

“Nigeria’s security challenges cannot be divorced from the regional heritage in the Sahel, a vast landmass which encompasses the troubled countries of Burkina, Chad, Mali, and Cameroon,” he added.

The former Head of State also emphasized the need for collective action to address the security challenges in the region, stating that “we owe our children, the future generation, the duty to create a secured nation.”