On a recent visit to Nigeria, Jonathan Powell, the prime minister’s national security adviser, highlighted the country’s crucial role in preventing the Sahel’s slide into even-greater chaos – with all the worrying spill-over effects for the UK’s own security.
Islamist insurgencies and military coups across the region have created a terrorism threat and a humanitarian crisis. Its largest nation is rightly seen as a bulwark against further conflict and turmoil.
