Senior Research Fellow at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Dr. Kester Onor said that, Nigeria can withstand potential threats and aid withdrawal from the United States if it harnesses its domestic resources, strengthens security, and pursues self-reliant policies.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Dr. Onor discussed the implications of recent statements by US President Donald Trump on Nigeria, the country’s long-standing security challenges, and the importance of diplomatic, military, and economic preparedness.
“I believe that Nigerian governments are already engaging our American counterparts. When we talk about insecurity, it has bedevilled Nigeria. Successive governments have come, they have equally met these precarious situations and they left it unsolved. It’s unfortunate that this present government is now bearing the brunt of the insecurity. Boko Haram has lasted more than 15 years in Nigeria. And various successive governments have not been able to meet the crisis. Now this government has come. We’ve seen the government trying. You understand? We are not saying that people are not dying. People are dying, right?”
He highlighted that terrorism in Nigeria is a global problem that requires cooperation with international partners. “We should equally understand that terrorism is not a problem for Nigeria alone. It’s a global problem. When we talk about extremism or Islamic jihadism, that are moving all over the world like wildfire, causing catastrophe, killing and maiming, it’s not restricted to Nigeria alone. And you know that because it’s a terrorist activity, Nigeria as a state, as a nation, cannot handle this problem, this issue alone. It’s equally, you know, Nigeria requires the cooperation of other international communities for them to solve this problem.”
On the role of the United States, he clarified that foreign boots on the ground are not the solution. “Now this government has come. We’ve seen the government trying. You understand? We are not saying that people are not dying. People are dying, right? But then Americans stamping their foot on the ground. We are the solution to this crisis. We can see examples from Libya. You know, when the operation, a doctrine, Responsibility to Protect was enacted. They went into Libya to guide, you know, civilians today. What happened to Libya? So I think it is time for Nigeria to come together, form a synergy, and they look for solution to this perennial problem and solve it once and for all. And then America, they have the intel. If they want to help Nigeria, they know the sponsors of these terrorist activities. You understand?”
Dr. Onor emphasised that Nigeria’s survival does not depend solely on foreign aid. “Okay, let me first take the question of, can Nigeria survive if the United States withdraw their aid? I believe that Nigeria is blessed with monumental resources, both human and material resources. And if we work together, we can harness those resources for the benefit of our people. Talking about survival, even without United States aid, Nigeria, we have been surviving, at least, remember the period of Abacha? When we had a kind of international, we become like a real state, we survived. You understand? In any case, African government’s decision is that we should move beyond. We should, yes, we should move beyond. We must reconnect.”
He also called for strategic investment in the Nigerian military and security sector. “What should we do with the military now? The NSA has met with, you know, the service troops and all that. What should we do now? The military should be empowered. There should be adequate resources for them to fight terrorism. You understand? So they should be properly empowered. Then there should equally be training. You know, just like I said before, Americans have been in Nigeria training our troops on insurgency and counter-terrorism. You know, this training should continue. You understand? This partnership that we require at this particular time is not maybe America putting their boots on the ground.”
On economic self-sufficiency, Dr. Onor urged Nigeria to maximise its natural resources. “Not just political will and good governance. Not just surviving. Nigeria will look better. Nigeria will fare better. Because if you look at our natural resources, greater and high demand, to some of these things, we can actually look inward and see how we can develop ourselves. Instead of moving those resources raw, exporting them raw, we can begin to develop them here and move them out as a finished product. Those are the resources that the other foreign nations are coming to steal, do you know? You mentioned nations now, that they’re going to steal from France. And these are the resources that are also fuelling the conflict and the killings in parts of this country. When we talk about maybe those that should represent us globally, I think this is the time for us to look for citizen diplomats so that some of these issues, apart from what you see on paper, there should be a backdoor channel, what I may call a quiet diplomacy.”
Dr. Onor also addressed Nigeria’s relations with its neighbors. “So for us now to be saying that these people have closed their borders, I believe that in the Nigerian military, we have enough capacity, if given the right resources, to tackle the problem in Nigeria. We can definitely do it if we have the right support, you know, the right logistics and the right resources. I believe if you look at what Nigerian military have done, look at our investment in Nigeria, look at our investment in Sierra Leone, look at our investment in Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and even in Côte d’Ivoire, we can all agree that we have done enough that with the right support, with the right leadership, with the right resources, that we are going to handle the challenges of insecurity in Nigeria.
“You know, it’s laughable to hear that Chad has closed their borders. If you realise these terrorist activities actually came as a result of the collapse of Libya, you know, when Gaddafi was removed, Libya, that used to be one of the best economies within the whole world, collapsed. And all these things happened due to foreign interventions in Libya. And as a result of that collapse, there were weapon proliferation, because a large number of people that were cutting their way, both the Tuaregs and the other ones working for Gaddafi, those weapons began to find their way into the Sahel region, you know. And some of those fighters moved, you know, start coming this way.”
Highlighting the importance of regional leadership, he recalled Nigeria’s historic role in ECOMOG, saying, “So why are we finding it difficult here to be able to do those heroic work we did in those other countries? This is the Nigeria of ECOMOG. This is the Nigeria of ECOMOG, that put ECOMOG together and funded it. ECOMOG, when we had to solve the problem in Nigeria, we didn’t call the Europeans or the British. Nigeria is ECOMOG. What’s wrong with us?”
Dr. Onor concluded with a call for long-term strategies. “With political will, good governance, investment in technology, and regional cooperation, Nigeria will not only survive any foreign aid withdrawal but will thrive. We have the people, resources, and expertise to ensure a safer, self-reliant, and prosperous Nigeria,”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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