Nigeria, May 21 -- It is possible to win a battle without fighting. - Sun Tzu

The recurring state of insecurity has become a grim soundtrack to Nigeria's national life. A lot is being done in terms of security spending, but the problems still linger because the roots of the problems of economic deprivation, religious extremism, weak justice systems and public sector corruption are not receiving the kind of attention they deserve. From the insidious creep of banditry in the North-West to the festering wounds of insurgency in the North-East, and the simmering tensions in the Middle Belt and South-South, the reliance on kinetic responses alone has proven to be a costly and often inadequate strategy.

The simplistic allure of military might ...