Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
Insecurity has been cited by a Nigerian healthcare professional based in the United States, Mrs Nkechi Eze (née Nzelu), as a major reason for staying away from Nigeria for years. According to her, the fear of kidnapping, violent attacks and unsafe roads makes visiting home increasingly difficult.
Eze, who spoke in an interview, said although she remains emotionally connected to Nigeria and wishes to reunite with family members, the safety of her children and other loved ones remains her foremost consideration whenever she contemplates travelling home.
She explained that her concern goes beyond the possibility of being attacked, stressing the need to be confident that she and her family could travel safely, move around freely and access emergency assistance if anything went wrong.
According to her, staying away from Nigeria does not diminish her love for the country but reflects her responsibility to protect her family from avoidable risks.
As a healthcare professional, Eze expressed particular concern over the growing threats to the lives of medical personnel, noting that health workers should not have to risk kidnapping or death while carrying out their duties.
She observed that insecurity affects healthcare delivery at several levels, as patients may be unable to travel to hospitals at night, medical personnel may struggle to reach their workplaces, and ambulances may avoid dangerous routes.
She warned that such disruptions could have serious consequences for pregnant women experiencing emergencies, accident victims and patients requiring urgent referrals to better-equipped medical facilities.
Eze also noted that financial constraints, transportation difficulties and delays in identifying hospitals capable of providing appropriate treatment could further worsen emergencies in an already challenging environment.
On what would make her reconsider visiting Nigeria, she said sustainable improvements in security, safer roads, effective emergency response systems and credible investigations into criminal activities would be necessary.
She maintained that assurances of safety must be backed by verifiable improvements in the specific communities and locations people intend to visit.
Speaking on banditry, kidnapping and farmer-herder conflicts, Eze said the challenges reflect the need for stronger protection of ordinary citizens, urging authorities to identify and prosecute individuals responsible for criminal activities rather than unfairly blaming entire ethnic or occupational groups.
She called for improved intelligence gathering, stronger collaboration among security agencies, better-equipped and properly supervised local policing structures, as well as efficient investigations and judicial processes.
She also advocated preventive measures, including education, employment opportunities and fair mechanisms for resolving disputes, while emphasizing the importance of respecting human rights to build public confidence in security institutions.
Comparing her experience in the United States with the situation in Nigeria, Eze acknowledged that the US was not free from crime but said the predictability of its security and emergency response systems gave residents greater confidence to plan their daily activities.
She said Nigerians deserved an environment where people could go to work, visit relatives and seek medical attention without living under constant fear or depending on private security arrangements.
On healthcare administration, she highlighted the US emergency care system, where hospitals are required to screen and stabilize patients experiencing medical emergencies regardless of their immediate ability to pay.
She clarified that this does not mean emergency treatment is entirely free, but stressed that urgent medical attention should not be delayed while patients or their relatives search for money.
Turning to Nigeria’s electoral process, Eze said her experience voting in the United States had exposed her to an organized system characterised by voter privacy, clear procedures and mechanisms for verifying election results.
She explained that although voting methods differ across US states, the processes generally provide for identification, private voting, verification and audits to strengthen confidence in the outcome.
While acknowledging the efforts of hardworking electoral officials and citizens in Nigeria, she expressed concern over allegations of electoral violence and manipulation, saying such issues must be addressed through transparent processes and evidence-based investigations.
She, however, cautioned against treating every allegation of electoral malpractice as an established fact, insisting that institutions must make relevant evidence accessible and clearly explain disputed outcomes to the public.
Eze argued that credible elections could contribute to improved governance by giving citizens the opportunity to reward or remove political leaders through the ballot.
However, she stressed that elections alone would not resolve insecurity or reverse the migration of skilled professionals, adding that sustainable progress would also require effective governance, responsible public spending, enforcement of laws and improved working conditions for professionals.
On diaspora voting, she supported extending voting rights to Nigerians living abroad, provided adequate safeguards were introduced to ensure credible registration, proper identity verification, prevent multiple voting and guarantee transparent counting.
She nevertheless maintained that strengthening the credibility and security of votes cast within Nigeria should remain an immediate priority.
Eze said the effectiveness of Nigeria’s security response should ultimately be measured by practical outcomes, including whether farmers could safely return to their farmlands, nurses could work night shifts without fear and victims of kidnapping could receive prompt and professional responses from security agencies.
She maintained that Nigerians deserved dependable public institutions capable of protecting lives, safeguarding livelihoods and restoring confidence in the country’s future.
END
