UK Group Says Nigeria Lost $113bn to Multi-faceted Conflicts in 13 Years

Reveals the country harbours 15% of global out-of-school children Fears generation of adults may be unable to compete in job market

The International Organisation for Peace Building & Social Justice (PSJ) has disclosed that research undertaken on the economic cost of conflicts in Nigeria has shown that between 2008 and 2021, a period of 13 years, the total cost hit between $90 billion to $113 billion.

It further noted that Nigeria holds about 15 per cent of the global population of out-of-school children’s population due to growing insecurity.

PSJ, a non-profit organisation based in the UK, seeks to promote peace building, social justice and sustainable development in Nigeria and other parts of the world and acts as a voice for marginalised communities.

In a new report titled: “Insecurity And Education in Nigeria, Context And Challenges”, carried out with support from IA Foundation, UK, the group listed the main drivers of insecurity in Nigeria as ethnic and religious tension, with at least 2,811 incidences between 1999 and 2021 and 18,132 fatalities .

In addition, within the period, it stressed that there had been 3,703 religious conflicts, with 29,957 fatalities as well as 117 incidences of ethno-religious conflicts, which led to 2,420 deaths.

Also, it stated that socioeconomic inequality, insurgency and terrorism as well as proliferation of arms and weak governance and corruption were driving insecurity in the country.

However, the group stated that the disruption of economic activities is not limited to monetary losses as the crisis has led to severe disruptions in agricultural activities, undermining food production and birthing a separate crisis of food insecurity and malnutrition.

It stated that one of the social consequences is that it has led to a large number of internally displaced people.

According to PSJ, as of 2022, there were an estimated 3.6 million internally displaced people and in a four-year window period between 2020-2023, a total of 14,437 abductions and 16,558 deaths recorded across the whole of Nigeria.

“The current security crisis in Nigeria has also had profound implications on the education sector both directly and indirectly. Prior to the rise of insecurity, the sector was already grappling with its own fair share of challenges from inadequate funding to poor infrastructure and access between urban and rural areas.

“The crisis in recent years has however caused a rapid deterioration of an already ailing sector...schools are reportedly seen as soft targets by insurgent groups... are seen to have weaker security with fewer or no fences and poorly trained security guards.

“This is especially true in government run schools. Insurgents also take advantage of the fact that mass abductions of children gain more local and international media coverage, making it more likely that demands will be met in exchange for the release of those abducted,” it noted.

Due to the increasing incidences of insecurity, the report stated that a large proportion of students are now found to be out of school, leading to the closure of 11,536 schools since December 2022.

“Between January and September 2021, another 20 attacks on schools in Nigeria were reported, where over 1,400 children were abducted, 16 killed and over 200 still reported missing.

“In March 2024, gunmen were reported to have carried out an attack on a primary school in Kaduna state, abducting a total of 227 students alongside several teachers and the head teacher,” it added.

According to the group, the education sector in Nigeria faces significant challenges, including limited access to quality education, inadequate infrastructure, and a shortage of qualified teachers.

It argued that the consequences of insecurity in Nigeria are far-reaching, affecting social cohesion, economic development, and political stability.

“In particular, insecurity exacerbates the already precarious state of the education sector, disrupting learning environments, displacing students and teachers, and hindering educational attainment.

“Nationwide, many schools are being shut down as a result of repeated attacks which has subsequently led to a substantial proportion of children out of school.

“Nigeria is presently host to one of the largest proportions of out of school children accounting for 15 per cent of the total global population. In the Northeast alone, the number of out of school children currently stands at 1.6 million,” it stressed.

Despite efforts by national and international actors to address both insecurity and education challenges, progress, it said has been limited.

“If these issues are not urgently addressed, Nigeria will find itself in a place where a generation of adults will be unable to compete in the job market both at home and at the global level.