Dare Babalola
Former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Kingsley Moghalu, has said Nigeria’s persistent security challenges will continue unless political leaders address what he described as the country’s underlying governance and structural problems.
In a statement posted on his X account on Wednesday, amid growing concerns over insecurity and the recent abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, Moghalu argued that successive governments have failed to implement the reforms needed to tackle the root causes of the crisis.
According to him, the country has continued to prioritise politics over governance, thereby postponing lasting solutions to insecurity and underdevelopment.
“Nigeria continues to face fundamental security challenges because we continue to postpone the real solutions: a focus on governance over politics — and an understanding that good governance is the best politics — anchored on a serious redesign of Nigeria,” he said.
Moghalu reiterated his longstanding call for restructuring, saying greater devolution of powers to the regions or states was necessary to strengthen governance and improve security.
“Call it restructuring. Call it whatever you will. But until power is devolved far more to Nigeria’s regions (better, because this creates economies of scale) or states, with control over natural resources and anything between 30-40% of resources therefrom contributed to the central government for federal functions, we are simply deferring our deliverance,” he stated.
The former presidential candidate maintained that national unity could not be sustained without meaningful development and adequate security for citizens.
“‘Unity’ without security and real development is an illusion,” he said.
While supporting the creation of state police, Moghalu stressed that it should be seen as part of broader reforms required to make the country work effectively for its citizens.
“State police is urgent, but it’s only part of what needs to be done for Nigeria to work for its people rather than just for politicians,” he added.
He further argued that restructuring should become a major national priority after the 2027 general elections, lamenting that the debate remains largely confined to political and intellectual elites.
“This is the real agenda after the 2027 elections. Unfortunately, it’s still an elite conversation and the people are not educated enough to stand up for restructuring,” Moghalu said.
His comments come amid renewed public debate over Nigeria’s security architecture, with growing calls for reforms following recent kidnapping incidents and other security challenges across the country.
