Inflation, youth unemployment fueling insecurity – Air chief

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar on Wednesday said the nation’s high inflation rate, youth unemployment and the harsh economy experienced are responsible for the nation’s security challenges.

Recall that shortly after his inauguration, President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of the fuel subsidy which was soon followed by the devaluation of the nation’s currency.

These actions, coupled with an inflation rate of 33.95 per cent, have caused great suffering for the masses.

Speaking during a meeting with the Branch Chiefs and Air Officers Commanding in Abuja, Abubakar said there was a need to review their performances.

He said, ” The harsh economic realities: high rate of youth unemployment, increasing inflation, and high multi-dimensional poverty have further aggravated the security situation in the country.

“Therefore, it is crucial that we have this leadership meeting to holistically review our performances and actions in the past 12 months in transforming the Nigerian Air Force to effectively meet the air power demands of Nigeria’s security.”

The Air Chief added that the war between Ukraine and Russia has led to “dire economic situations” in countries like Nigeria, fueling insecurity.

He said, “The Russian-Ukraine war created a significant economic disruption that negatively affected world food prices and led to higher costs of living, especially in vulnerable economies such as Nigeria. These dire economic situations fuel insecurity.

” And for the Nigerian Air Force, the Russia-Ukraine War has constrained our sourcing of aircraft spares and maintenance of the Mi-series helicopters that are crucial in our counter-terrorism/counter-insurgency operations.”

He also said the military takeover of governments in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger and their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States have hurt the region’s security architecture.

Abubakar said, “Looking at the West African sub-region, the upsurge in the coup d’etat and the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the ECOWAS have negative impacts on our collective regional security architecture. Citing the failure of ECOWAS to address jihadist violence in their countries, the military junta has turned to Russia for security assistance.”

He warned that the withdrawal of troops from Mali and the Multinational Joint Task Force could cause the movement of weapons and terrorists into the country.

Abubakar said, “Additionally, the withdrawals of UN troops from MINUSMA, 2000 Chadian troops from Mali as well as Niger Republic troops from the Multi-National Joint Task Force could aggravate the security challenges in the Sahel Region, causing the influx of more weapons and terrorists into Nigeria. Invariably, this situation militates against our counterinsurgency efforts.”