Punch Newspapers
Sections
Published 12:20 am
ON the back of security threats, especially the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency, Nigeria has consistently ploughed vast resources into defence spending in the past decade. The outcome has been chiefly underwhelming. Despite billions of dollars being appropriated to beef up the capabilities of the Armed Forces from the Goodluck Jonathan era up till the moment, Boko Haram is still a menacing force. Additionally, banditry and kidnapping for ransom have assumed a frightening dimension in the North, spreading southward since the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), won office in 2015. This is a double jeopardy: insecurity is increasing amid more funding. Therefore, there is a fundamental problem seething beneath the surface.