Ebony Herald International 16th Annual Lecture: Alabi links Nigeria’s hunger, insecurity to decades of governance failures. By Abibu Shehu Ibrahim
Ebony Herald International 16th Annual Lecture: Alabi links Nigeria’s hunger, insecurity to decades of governance failures
Engineer (Dr.) Johnson Jaiyeola Alabi has said that Nigeria’s deepening hunger, insecurity, corruption and the escalating herder–farmer conflict are products of decades-long structural weaknesses within the country’s governance system.
Alabi, Guest Lecturer, made the assertion at the Ebony Herald International 16th Annual Lecture, held today at Pharmacy House, behind Government House in Akure, where ten distinguished personalities were also honoured with awards and investiture into the Ebony Herald Hall of Fame and Dignity.
Among the recipients were renowned social media influencer Madam Mewolaka and leading politician Dr. Mrs. Morinola Olanipekun, recognised for their outstanding contributions to society.
Presenting a paper titled “The Trajectory of Governance in Nigeria: Linking Institutional Evolution to Hunger, the Herder–Farmer Crisis, Corruption, and National Challenges,” Alabi said Nigeria’s present social and economic crises stem from years of institutional fragility, excessive centralisation of power and inconsistent government policies.
He said that despite Nigeria’s abundant human and natural resources, the country remains trapped in underdevelopment because successive administrations failed to build strong institutions capable of sustaining national growth and stability.
Tracing the origins of today’s challenges, Alabi explained that the colonial era entrenched an extractive and centralised governance structure designed for resource exploitation rather than inclusive development.
This legacy, he noted, weakened indigenous governance systems and amplified ethnic divisions.
He added that political rivalry, weak democratic institutions and unresolved regional tensions contributed to the collapse of the First Republic in 1966, ushering in nearly three decades of military rule.
The period, he said, eroded federalism, entrenched rent-seeking culture and institutionalised an authoritarian administrative style that continues to influence governance in the Fourth Republic.
According to him, reforms introduced since 1999, such as banking regulations, anti-corruption initiatives and the Treasury Single Account, have not delivered the required institutional strengthening due to elite dominance, weak rule of law and electoral irregularities.
On the issue of hunger, Alabi insisted that Nigeria’s food crisis is not a result of inadequate agricultural potential but of governance failures.
He pointed to chronic underinvestment in agriculture, poor extension services, inadequate rural infrastructure and insecurity that prevents farmers from accessing farmlands.
Corruption in fertiliser and subsidy distribution, he added, further undermines food production and access.
He also warned that the herder–farmer conflict has evolved into a major national security challenge due to ineffective land-use policies, climate-induced desertification in the North, weakened traditional conflict-resolution mechanisms and the proliferation of small arms.
What began as a local resource dispute, he said, has now escalated into widespread communal violence and organised criminality.
Describing corruption as Nigeria’s most pervasive governance problem, Alabi said it affects every sector, from security and justice to health, education and infrastructure.
He lamented that despite the existence of agencies such as the EFCC and ICPC, political interference and selective prosecution continue to weaken anti-corruption efforts.
Alabi further identified economic instability, unemployment, regional inequalities and rising ethnic tensions as symptoms of deeper governance deficiencies.
He noted that dependence on oil, weak manufacturing capacity and inconsistent economic reforms have left the country vulnerable to shocks and widespread poverty.
He concluded that Nigeria must urgently rebuild its governance architecture by strengthening democratic institutions, reforming the security sector, addressing structural inequalities and revitalising the agricultural sector.
Only comprehensive governance reforms, he said, can break the cycle of hunger, conflict, corruption and national instability.
