Cleric: Lack of political will, not military weakness responsible for Nigeria’s insecurity

CALABAR – A prominent Calabar-based cleric, Josef Bassey, has asserted that Nigeria’s enduring security crisis stems not from military incapacity, but from a deficit of political will and courage to challenge entrenched interests.

Bassey, who leads the Cross River State Christian Leaders Forum and serves as the spiritual head of God’s Heritage Nation, made these remarks during an interview with journalists in Calabar.

He described the prolonged killings of Christians in the country as a genocide, persisting for years despite repeated denials from certain quarters.

According to him, these attacks have become so commonplace that they are now treated as routine, losing news value due to their daily occurrence without significant consequences or an effective official response.

“The normalization of violence has left many Christians feeling helpless and abandoned, leaving many of them as victims in situations with no hope of rescue,” Bassey stated.

He noted, however, that renewed global attention, spearheaded by the United States, has offered victims some confidence that their plight may finally be acknowledged.

The cleric argued that some Nigerians deny the genocide out of fear for their personal safety, suggesting that such silence is motivated by self-preservation rather than truth.

He maintained that no Christian in Nigeria can genuinely claim ignorance of what he characterized as systematic killings and targeted attacks against believers.

Commenting on recent U.S. airstrikes in Sokoto State, Bassey emphasized that military operations are intelligence-driven.

He stressed that insurgency cannot be eradicated without targeting the leadership and intelligence networks that coordinate violence across regions.

He concluded by urging the Federal Government to intensify efforts in the new year, particularly regarding security and citizen welfare, and to foster a trustworthy environment where people’s labour and talents can flourish.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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