“You Can’t Secure a Country You Can’t Count” — Lady Speaks on Nigeria’s Insecurity Crisis

A lady has sparked discussion online with her bold statement about the country’s ongoing insecurity challenges, linking them to outdated demographic data.

In a viral video, she said, “Everyone is talking about insecurity in Nigeria but the real truth is you can’t secure a country you can’t count. For almost 20 years Nigeria has been running blind. There has not been a fresh census, no real number and no reliable data. We’re fighting insecurity with outdated maps and demographic assumptions.”

Her statement has quickly gone viral, with social media users weighing in on the intersection of census data, governance, and national security.

Social media reactions

Many Nigerians chimed in with their views on why the country’s population data remains unreliable.

@dee_hypeman wrote: “That’s a fact but how then do we have a fresh number of citizens in Nigeria? Because so far so good, we can only keep the numbers correct if we can account for the amount of death and the amount of birth rate, but then in the north these women don’t give birth in the hospital.”

@globaltrendX suggested: “We need a unified identity system. BVN and NIN and all such credentials need to be brought under one identity management system for better data tracking.”

@woodsAlfre85145 added: “Okay let assume they count today and the next week five trailer of herdsmen from Sahel and other Sahara region don enter the country because no border security and all type of herdsmen and bandit keep coming in daily. How will knowing the amount work?”

@adisaedus concluded: “She’s actually right but wrong at the same time.”

The debate highlights growing concerns that Nigeria’s outdated census and population tracking may be exacerbating national insecurity and complicating policy planning.