In the wake of the joint US-Nigeria airstrikes against terrorist targets in Sokoto State, a predictable chorus of outrage has emerged on Nigerian social media. Commentators draped in the finery of traditional authority have proclaimed a national tragedy: that by cooperating with American military power, the Tinubu administration has surrendered Nigeria's sacred sovereignty.
This narrative is not just wrong; it is a breathtaking display of selective memory and intellectual dishonesty. Where was this fervent defense of sovereignty for the past 16 years while Nigeria bled?
The Deafening Silence of the "Sovereignty" Brigade
For nearly two decades, a cancer of terror metastasized across northern Nigeria with horrifying consequences. We witnessed:
* Villages erased from the map.
* Churches and mosques desecrated and burned.
* A generation of schoolchildren kidnapped** from their dormitories.
* Women subjected to unspeakable violence.
* Entire communities displaced, creating a nation of over 4 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) within their own borders.
Through all this carnage, the voices now crying "sovereignty" were largely silent. There were no op-eds lamenting the abdication of the state's most basic duty: the protection of its citizens. There was no outrage when terrorists, wielding sophisticated weaponry, were heralded in some local communities not as monsters, but as misguided figures to be understood and negotiated with.
The Real Abdication: Appeasement and Negotiation
The true erosion of sovereignty did not begin with a Tomahawk missile launch. It began when the doctrine of appeasement became state policy at sub-national levels. For years, the preferred strategy was not overwhelming force, but negotiation.
Terrorists were placated, pardoned, and paid. In this twisted calculus:
* Terror was normalized.
* Justice was jettisoned.
* Criminals were bargained with.
* Victims were doubly victimized—first by the attack, and then by the state's complicit silence or payoff.
This was the real abdication. Sovereignty isn't just a line on a map; it is the monopoly on legitimate force and the unwavering commitment to use it to protect the populace. By outsourcing security to ransom payments and shaky "peace deals," that monopoly was surrendered long ago.
A Necessary Partnership, Not a Submission
The joint tactical mission with the United States is not a ceding of sovereignty; it is a reclamation of it. It is the long-overdue assertion of the federal government's primary responsibility, utilizing every tool and partnership available. Nigeria has every right to cooperate with any nation to "surgically remove elements of a pervasive cancer" that has held it hostage.
This operation is a strategic necessity, not a one-off event. Defeating an entrenched terrorist insurgency requires successive, coordinated, and devastating attacks—militarily, psychologically, and financially. This strike in Sokoto is a beginning, not an end.
A Call for Clarity and Support
The crocodile tears of the newfound sovereignty advocates should not intimidate the government or mislead the public. For too long, Nigeria has been held captive by a complex web of criminal collaborators within and terrorists without. Extricating the nation will take time, resolve, and difficult partnerships.
The path forward requires patience and clear-eyed focus. The Tinubu administration needs support for taking decisive, if externally aided, action against a clear enemy. The false proclaimers of sovereignty, who stood silent during years of slaughter, have no moral standing to criticize a government finally acting to end it. The true defense of Nigerian sovereignty lies not in empty slogans, but in the sustained and ruthless pursuit of security for every citizen.
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