Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has urged the Nigerian government to prioritise improving living conditions in troubled communities, arguing that increased defence spending alone cannot guarantee lasting security.
Gumi made the call in a Facebook post on Wednesday while referencing Saudi Arabia’s reported $83 billion defence expenditure last year, which he said had failed to prevent attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.
The Kaduna-based cleric cited a CNN analysis titled Why Billions Spent on Defence Haven’t Shielded Saudi Arabia From Houthi Attacks, which examined the kingdom’s challenges in protecting critical infrastructure, including airports, refineries and pipelines.
“If just $10 billion is spent on the social welfare of these mountainous rebellious neighbouring population, they will not have the morality to fight them. Rather, they were bombed for decades resulting in irretractable enmity,” Gumi said.
He drew a comparison with Nigeria’s approach to tackling insecurity, recalling that the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari purchased 12 A-29 Super Tucano fighter aircraft from the United States for approximately $496.37 million, equivalent to about ₦151.39 billion at the time.
Gumi also cited Amnesty International’s 2023 human rights agenda, which reported that the Nigerian Air Force had carried out at least 17 fatal airstrikes on civilian settlements since July 2019.
The cleric argued that resources spent on military operations could produce better results if directed towards improving the living conditions of people in affected communities.
“If this colossal amount of money is used to improve the living conditions of these people, it will yield better results,” he said.
Gumi further referenced Qur’an 41:34 in Surah Fussilat, which he said encourages responding to wrongdoing with kindness, patience, forgiveness and good conduct rather than revenge.
He argued that such an approach could help reduce hostility and transform relationships between adversaries.
“Good and evil are not equal. Allah teaches us to respond to wrongdoing with kindness, patience, forgiveness, and good behaviour rather than revenge,” he said.
He added that treating hostile individuals with kindness could soften their attitudes and help turn enemies into friends.
Gumi’s comments come amid continued security challenges in Nigeria, particularly banditry and armed violence in parts of the North-West, where military operations and other security measures have been used to tackle armed groups.
