The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, has said Nigeria’s insecurity is driven by longstanding generational grievances dating back to 1914, rather than the policies of President Bola Tinubu.
This was disclosed in a statement made available to PUNCH Online on Friday, which states that Ibrahim, who represents Ondo South Senatorial District, made the remarks during an Inter-Parliamentary Union parliamentary hearing at the United Nations in New York.
“The security challenges confronting Nigeria today did not start with President Tinubu. They are products of generational grievances that date back to 1914 and were not properly addressed over time,” he said.
The senator argued that colonial authorities failed to resolve structural and political tensions before and after Nigeria’s independence in 1960.
“Even at independence, the foundations were shaky. The grievances were not comprehensively addressed. If adequate measures had been taken earlier, many of these issues may have been avoided,” he stated.
He linked the civil war following the attempted secession of the Republic of Biafra, as well as recurring civil unrest since independence, to unresolved historical tensions.
According to Ibrahim, several British constitutional frameworks — including the Clifford Constitution of 1922, Richards Constitution of 1946, Macpherson Constitution of 1951, and Lyttleton Constitution of 1954 — did not sufficiently address security concerns.
“None of these constitutional arrangements effectively addressed the security question. They were largely administrative transitions without resolving the core grievances,” he said.
Ibrahim also noted that leadership of the Nigerian Armed Forces was not fully indigenised until 1965, adding that British officers continued to occupy key positions after independence.
“The Nigerian Navy, for example, remained under British command until 1964. Full military indigenisation came late, and these structural gaps had consequences,” he added.
He further recalled that Nigeria experienced nine military coups between 1966 and 1993, stressing that the interventions achieved limited success in resolving security challenges.
“Despite the series of military interventions, the security challenges persisted. The coups achieved limited success in addressing the root causes,” he said.
On contemporary threats, including the Boko Haram insurgency, Ibrahim called for stronger international cooperation.
“Terrorism today is driven by ideology, misinformation, surprise tactics and access to advanced technology. No nation can confront it alone,” he stated.
He welcomed partnerships with countries such as the United States, Turkey, and China, while warning of the dangers posed by terrorists acquiring weapons of mass destruction.
“The most alarming scenario is the acquisition of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons by terrorists. That is why global collaboration is no longer optional,” he said.
Ibrahim added that President Tinubu’s foreign policy prioritises global cooperation.
“Our foreign policy under President Tinubu is anchored on cooperation, democratic peace and constructive global engagement. Nigeria is friendly to all and enemy to none,” he said.
He disclosed that the Senate is convening a National Security Summit to address what he described as generational grievances.
“With increased budgeting and stronger diplomatic engagement, Nigeria is gaining greater legitimacy in tackling insecurity both domestically and internationally,” Ibrahim said.
The senator also noted that the deployment of about 70 ambassadors reflects Nigeria’s renewed openness to global investment and security partnerships.
