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There was a time when Nigeria did not wait for foreign capitals to define West African security. From the anti-apartheid struggle in Southern Africa to military interventions in Liberia and Sierra Leone, Nigeria projected power, influence and diplomatic leadership. Whether one agreed with its methods or not, nobody doubted who was leading.
The modern Sahel crisis traces back to the 2011 Libyan collapse, which flooded the region with weapons and fighters, reigniting Tuareg rebellions in northern Mali in 2012. This enabled Islamist groups to seize territory, leading to French intervention (Operation Serval in 2013, later Barkhane). Initial gains were undermined by persistent weak governance: corruption, urban-rural divides, ethnic tensions (e.g., Fulani pastoralists vs. agricultural communities), and state absence in rural peripheries.
The North must confront difficult truths that have too often been avoided or obscured by political correctness
Once the apparatus exists, point it wherever is politically convenient. The genius of the trick is that anyone who objects to the pointing can be accused of sympathising with the fear itself.
Street Professor Dave Umahi, Lagos, the Atlantic and the Missing Environmental Impact Assessmen
Centre for Nigeria Progress 