Nigeria: Nigeria’s sovereignty is tested in our forests, farms

By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria

A nation’s sovereignty is not measured only by the size of its military or the strength of its economy. It is also measured by how well it controls its territory, protects its natural resources, secures its food supply, and guarantees the safety of its citizens. 

For Nigeria — blessed with vast forests, abundant minerals, fertile land, and strategic geography — protecting these assets is inseparable from protecting the state itself.

The warning signs are already here. When a country loses control of its forests, mineral-rich communities, and farmlands, it opens the door to insecurity, illegal exploitation, and economic instability. If Nigeria is serious about sovereignty, it cannot afford to neglect forests, mining, and agriculture.

Nigeria’s forests are more than trees. They provide ecological protection, support rural livelihoods, preserve biodiversity, and hold economic value. But today, large parts of them have become security risks.

Across the country, bandits, kidnappers, and illegal miners have turned difficult-to-monitor forest areas into operational bases. When forests become ungoverned spaces, the authority of the state is weakened. A government cannot claim full control of its territory when criminal networks freely occupy strategic locations and threaten citizens.

What is needed is a coordinated approach: federal and state governments working with local communities, traditional rulers, security agencies, and environmental authorities. That means technology-driven monitoring, community intelligence networks, and sustainable forest management. 

Forests should be patrolled, mapped, and managed, not abandoned. When forests are secure, rural communities are safer, biodiversity is protected, and the state reasserts control over its territory.

Nigeria sits on enormous mineral wealth: gold, lithium, iron ore, coal, tin, limestone, and more. Properly developed, these resources can drive industrialisation, create jobs, and diversify the economy beyond oil.

When minerals are extracted without oversight, three things happen: communities suffer environmental damage, the country loses revenue, and criminal networks gain funding. In some areas, illegal mining has also fueled conflict.

A sovereign nation must be able to identify, regulate, and benefit from its natural resources. Mineral wealth should not become a source of violence or environmental destruction.

We also need partnerships with responsible investors who bring capital and expertise without exploiting communities. Mining is capital intensive. Nigerian operators cannot do it alone.

Food is not just a commodity. It is a strategic national resource. A country that cannot feed its people is vulnerable  to price shocks, to external pressure, and to internal unrest.

Nigeria has millions of hectares of arable land. Yet insecurity, climate change, poor infrastructure, and low investment continue to hold agriculture back. 

In many states, farmers cannot access their farms because of banditry and kidnapping. The result is lower production, higher food prices, and growing hunger.

Protecting farmers is therefore a national security responsibility. Without secure farming environments, economic stability and social peace are at risk.

Food security is not about emergency palliatives. It is about building systems that make Nigeria self-sufficient and resilient.

Criminal activity in forests often overlaps with illegal mining. When mining is unregulated, farmland is destroyed and water sources are polluted. When farmers are displaced by insecurity, food production falls and poverty rises. Poverty in turn makes communities more vulnerable to recruitment by criminal groups.

That is why Nigeria needs a comprehensive national security strategy that connects forest protection, mineral governance, and agricultural security. The goal should be simple: no part of Nigerian territory should be outside the control of the state.

A country can be rich and still be weak if it cannot protect what it owns. Sovereignty is not only about defending borders from external threats. It is also about ensuring that internal weaknesses do not create opportunities for exploitation.

This requires political will, better coordination between federal and state governments, and the involvement of communities. Traditional institutions, civil society, and the private sector all have a role. The protection of national assets must be a shared responsibility.

May Nigeria’s sovereignty never be tested by the loss of control over these critical areas. The future strength of the country will depend not just on what lies beneath our soil, but on the wisdom and courage to protect and manage it.

A truly sovereign Nigeria is one where forests are secure, minerals are responsibly developed, farmers are protected, and citizens actually feel the benefits of national wealth.