External Interests, Porous Borders Fuel Nigeria’s Insecurity, Opines Ex-Defence Chief

A former Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim (retd.), on Saturday night in Abuja warned that Nigeria’s security difficulties are being worsened by porous borders and the country’s perceived economic attractiveness, arguing that these factors continue to draw external threats and internal divisions at a time when long-standing predictions about Nigeria’s collapse have not fully faded.

Speaking at the reunion dinner of the 42nd Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Ibrahim said Nigeria’s challenges cannot be separated from how the country is viewed beyond its borders.

According to him, while many citizens grapple daily with hardship, outsiders often see Nigeria as a place rich in opportunities that can be exploited.

He said, “One of our sins is that Nigeria is prosperous. You know what prosperity does to a nation? It invites many things in. And our borders are very porous. We are paying the price for being prosperous.

“If you live in Nigeria for too long, you may not be able to swear that we are prosperous. But people who see us from outside believe they can come and harvest where they never sowed. And then there are others in our midst who are more interested in identity.

“There are also people out there who are strategic and who never want this country to bear a name at all.

“Look, I have never seen anyone in a village who speaks proudly about prosperity and does not have a problem—especially in the case of Nigeria.”

The retired admiral, who served as Nigeria’s 14th Chief of Defence Staff between 2012 and 2014, cautioned that earlier forecasts suggesting Nigeria would break apart have not disappeared entirely.

He maintained that the interests behind such narratives remain active and persistent.

He said, “Remember, some people thought this country would disintegrate almost 10 years ago. Those people are still at war. They are still at war.

“Because you live with us every day, you can see what other people see. Are you with me? They want to make this country disintegrate.”

Ibrahim described members of the 42nd Regular Course as officers whose careers have unfolded amid some of the most difficult periods in Nigeria’s security history. He noted that many of them have held sensitive command roles across different regions, confronting threats that earlier generations did not fully anticipate.

“Your generation was prepared for the turbulence that defined this country today. I am quite sure you must have been in one sector or the other, managing the kind of turbulence that has tried to consume the essence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Turbulence, I call it, specifically because our generation saw the problem we are solving now as if it was a child’s play,” he said.

Emphasising unity within the armed forces, the former defence chief urged senior officers to sustain close professional and personal ties, arguing that national security requires collective effort rather than isolated action.

“Not one person can do it alone. Apart from NDA uniting all of us, we have no other country but Nigeria,” he said.

Reflecting on his tenure, Ibrahim said he took pride in participating in structural reforms aimed at improving operational effectiveness, particularly the establishment of new military divisions in regions facing severe security pressures.

“I am very glad that, as Chief of Defence Staff, I was at the head of the table when we created the division in the North West and the division in the North East, because we understood that a joint task force could not efficiently manage the kind of challenge we were faced with,” he said.

Earlier, President of the 42nd Regular Course, Maj.-Gen. Folusho Oyinlola, said the reunion provided an opportunity for members to reconnect, reflect on their journey and renew their commitment to service. He said the shared experiences at the NDA had forged lasting bonds rooted in sacrifice, discipline and leadership.

Oyinlola added that although course members had been dispersed by various postings and responsibilities over the years, their collective identity remained intact. He urged them to continue supporting one another beyond rank and office, while also honouring colleagues who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Concerns about Nigeria’s unity, analysts note, have surfaced repeatedly over the years. While dire predictions of national disintegration have not materialised, Ibrahim’s remarks suggest that the forces behind such expectations remain a factor in the country’s evolving security landscape.