Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has said insecurity has festered in Nigeria because the country has ignored its underprivileged class for decades, creating a fertile ground for exploitation by foreign interests.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Sheikh Gumi highlighted the deep socio-economic discrepancy in the society, noting that the stratification has turned the country’s teeming youth into ready-made foot soldiers for those seeking to divide and rule while plundering national resources.

“Nigeria for decades has ignored the underprivileged section of its society. There is a significant socio-economic discrepancy, and the society is stratified.

“This makes our teeming youth ready-made foot soldiers for any foreign interest trying to divide us and rule. To plunder our resources while we are involved in a vicious circle of violence,” he said.

The Kaduna-based cleric added that the political class has remained inattentive to the plight of the poor, while the intelligentsia is held hostage by the daily struggle for existence.

“Unfortunately, the political class is unattentive while the intelligentsia is held hostage in the struggle for existence,” Gumi stated.

Gumi referenced a quote from Tupac Shakur, ‘How can the devil take a brother if he’s close to me,’ to underscore the need for closer integration of marginalised groups into the society.

In 2021, the cleric said he took proactive steps to bring some of these “uncouth elements” back into the national fold rather than allowing them to be exploited.

“I took the bull by the horns in an attempt to bring some of these uncouth elements back to our fold rather than letting them be exploited by the devil,” he recalled.

He maintained that this approach remains the only viable solution to Nigeria’s security challenges, but it requires strong political will and determination from the leadership.

Gumi stated, “I still believe this is the only way out of our predicament. However, it needs the political will and determination to achieve.” (The Sun)

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