Oriire rescue: Why Yorubaland is not Arewanistan, By Majeed Dahiru

The author criticizes a prevailing narrative in Yorubaland that deflects responsibility for widespread insecurity, particularly banditry and terrorism. Majeed Dahiru argues that regional elites often blame external factors, such as climate change, poverty, or even former President Goodluck Jonathan's "cluelessness," instead of confronting the core issues and culprits.

This tendency to externalize blame, Dahiru suggests, hinders effective solutions. By focusing on distant causes or political scapegoats, the region fails to address the immediate threats and the cultural or societal dynamics that may enable them. The piece implies that this pattern of deflection is a significant obstacle to achieving lasting peace and security.

Contrasting Yorubaland with a hypothetical "Arewanistan," the article implies a cultural or strategic difference in how security challenges are perceived and managed. Dahiru's commentary underscores a call for greater accountability and a more direct confrontation with the realities of insecurity, urging a departure from what he views as a pattern of evasion and misplaced blame.