Diri backs military, non-military methods to fight insecurity

In the heart of the Niger Delta, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri is championing a nuanced approach to the persistent issue of insecurity plaguing Nigeria. Speaking to participants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course 19 from the National Institute for Security Studies, Governor Diri, represented by his deputy, Peter Akpe, underscored a critical truth often overlooked in national security discourse: military might alone cannot quell the flames of unrest.

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We welcome you and also appreciate you for choosing Bayelsa for this particular study tour. These studies are so important, but most of the time, because we don’t study, we don’t get empirical data or information on what is really going on. And so, we tend to theorise everything.

Governor Diri articulated a vision where security is not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice and opportunity. He pointed to the "Prosperity Administration" in Bayelsa as a testament to this philosophy, actively employing non-kinetic strategies. These include robust youth empowerment programs, extensive skills acquisition initiatives, scholarship opportunities, and the crucial development of community infrastructure. The governor's message is clear: an idle, hopeless, and excluded youth population is the most fertile ground for recruitment by criminal and militant groups.

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We take this study very seriously. Therefore, we commend the Director General and the entire leadership of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS), Abuja, for your consistent investment in the intellectual and professional capital of our national intelligence and security architecture.

What makes Governor Diri's perspective particularly resonant within Nigeria, and especially in a region like the Niger Delta, is his direct acknowledgment of the "painful paradox of plenty." For decades, the immense oil wealth beneath Bayelsa's soil has coexisted with a stark reality of underdevelopment – gas flares illuminating the night sky without providing electricity, pipelines disrupting farmlands, and a generation watching wealth flow past their communities. This deep-seated grievance, he implies, is intrinsically linked to the security challenges the nation faces. Western coverage often focuses on the kinetic aspects – military operations, arrests – but Governor Diri reminds us that sustainable peace requires addressing the root causes: equitable resource distribution and inclusive governance.

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Bayelsa is the heart of the Niger Delta. Beneath our creeks, our mangroves and our communities lie the wealth that has powered the Nigerian economy for over six decades. Yet, for so long, our people lived with the painful paradox of plenty—gas flares lighting the night sky over our communities without electricity, pipelines crossing farmlands that no longer yielded crops, and a generation of young men and women growing up to watch wealth pass them by.

This holistic strategy, combining the force of arms with the power of social investment and political inclusion, is not just an academic exercise for Bayelsa. It is a lived reality, a response to decades of neglect and exploitation. The governor's call for a balanced approach is a call for a more just and equitable Nigeria, where the nation's resources truly benefit all its citizens, thereby fostering a more secure and stable future for everyone.

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On the issue of national security, I believe that no military strategy, however sophisticated, can substitute for inclusive governance, equitable resource sharing, and a credible social contract between the state and its citizens.