From Plateau to Benue: Nigeria’s failure to anticipate crises is costing lives

It is little wonder that the spate of killings across Nigeria shows no signs of abating—despite repeated assurances from the government. In 2023 alone, the economic cost of violence was estimated at 11.99 percent of Nigeria’s total GDP, according to the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP). To put it plainly: with a GDP of $363.85 billion in 2023, the cost of violence stood at $43.63 billion—nearly $1 out of every $8 the nation produced. For every $8.34 Nigeria generated in 2023, $1 was wiped out by insecurity.

President Bola Tinubu rec