State failure and strategic postulation: A call for action By Mon Jul 12 2021 The sorry state of our country today caused by dismal failure of leadership at all levels of government has revealed the thorough decay of the Nigerian state. If left unchecked, this level of decay could unravel the country’s core institutions and structures, ultimately leading to our losing the nation-state itself. The situation has exposed the country as overtly polarised, with a near-complete absence of ideology and moral authority within the two major political forces—the APC and the PDP. Measures so far taken by the two parties have been no more than a facade of token gestures which did little or nothing to resolve our basic developmental problems. Instead, the masses of Nigeria became victims of their governments’ policies and practices, becoming unable to feed, house, clothe and educate themselves or treat their ailments engendering in the populace a sense of hopelessness, helplessness and a devastating psychological feeling of loss of stake in a system that effectively alienates them. This naturally creates a class issue of “the elites and the masses”, with high volatility; thereby, in turn, creating the conditions for a tinderbox of social unrest, violence and insecurity.