Podcasts about Insecurity

Demi Tebow is so full of light, love, and encouragement. The former Miss Universe joins Sadie to share the heart behind her mission to end the unimaginable child exploitation in the Philippines. Demi and Sadie also drop tons of advice on how to overcome peer pressure (even as an adult!), how to have an everlasting impact, and how to genuinely encourage sisters and friends without giving into comparison and jealousy. Friends, you are not a copy. God created you to be the best version of you. To help Demi bring healing and hope to 80 exploited children, visit: https://www.timtebowfoundation.org https://liberty.edu/Sadie — Plan your visit to Liberty University today, and get your application fee WAIVED! https://dwelldifferently.com/  — Use the code SADIE to get $5 off your first month! - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More Australians are seeking rental properties than there are properties available. With over one million properties empty and with rental prices rising, there is fear the home ownership will become nearly impossible for the next generation.

Do you play small? Do you find yourself not believing what you CAN do? What you CAN accomplish? What you are ABLE to pull off?    Do you do anything about it...or just settle for "it is the way that it is."

In the latest episode, The Fanbase Weekly co-hosts welcome special guests David Accampo (Writer/Co-Creator, Spectral: A Showcase of Fear) and Ariel Landrum (Co-Host, Happiest Pod on Earth / Clinical Director, Guidance Teletherapy Family Counseling) to discuss the latest geek news stories of the week, including Twitter's insecurity about female Orcs, Ezra Miller's future with the DC universe, whether Obi-Wan Kenobi was complicit in Anakin's downfall, and Tillie Walden's new take on The Walking Dead.

We all have insecurities, but many of us don't realize how much they impact our lives. In this message, we look at 1 Samuel 17 and talk about what it means to not suppress our insecurities, but rather address them.

Let's connect on Instagram @BeautyJamBySam

President Muhammadu Buhari reacted to recent incidents of attacks on churches in Ondo and Kaduna States and vowed never to let anyone put the nation under unnecessary religious stress. The president, however, laid the blame on the doorsteps of evil doers, saying wicked people were behind the dastardly acts. He called on all Nigerians – Christian and Muslim – to unite in prayer against the coward perpetrators of the evil acts. The president observed seeing the crowd of Nigerians voluntarily rushing to donate blood after the attack, thronging the local hospitals, even in the midst of mourning.

Lets discuss the inevitable ups and downs; what resentment unresolved goes to look like in your marriage. What are your options, is it hopeless, and how do you handle it? Next we talk your roster; does your spouse know your #, I polled the freaky fam on social media the majority of you are open book while others would rather you not ask- one listener asks how he could about finding out his wife's past, and I give my honest opinion. One female listener expresses her insecurity about her large labia and her hype queen has arrived, another male listener wants sex everyday and has a wife with 4 kids under 2- oh whatever shall he do. Spoiler alert: its just a season, chill bro - but don't worry bc I have the perfect line to get a warmed up wife instead of a closed off wife! Todays last segment is part 3 of our TANTRIC DATE NIGHT SERIES and its all about telling them what you reallllllllllly want, no holding back!!!!Tune in now to level up your sex life. xoxoJOIN THE PATREON; for sexy ad free erotic short stories and an intimate community setting.https://www.patreon.com/thehornyhousewifepodcastFOLLOW MEIG- @_thehornyhousewifepodcasttiktok- @thehornyhousewifepodcastAdvertising/Collabsthehornyhousewifepod@gmail.com

For those moments when you feel INSECURE — like throwing in the towel, and giving in…DON'T DO IT! This is why… Insecurity will keep you from making the valuable deposits that you desire in your life. To be secure and NOT INSECURE, it's vital to keep your security AND value your time. Especially when it feels as though keeping yourself secure it WASTING your time! It's either security or insecurity. You choose! Your passwords will help you. What WORDS are you using to access your most SECURE self? Or are they making you INSECURE? Please grab your SACRED S.O.L. D.A.T.E. JOURNAL (Daily Action To Engage yourself.) TODAY'S SACRED S.O.L. STEP Where do you feel as though you've lost your security — you feel INSECURE? Today's the day to get it in one place. To regain it. To redeclare it. To restore it. To create some new passwords. Valuable passwords that allow you to go into, discover, and awake the confidence and security within yourself . Commit to it. Circle it. Take a step today…take action…to keep your security SECURE. Thank you for being here, and allowing me to SIP ON LIFE with you.  If you've been feeling like you're stuck, overwhelmed, or perhaps you still feel like you're drowning in your life, please don't hesitate to reach out. YOU ARE NOT ALONE... Request a FREE copy of my best-selling book, Date Yourself Well — The Best-Selling 12 Engagements Of Becoming The Great Lover Of Your Life (all you'll pay for is shipping.) www.dateyourselfwell.com If you've received value from the podcast, please let me know. I'd LOVE to hear from you — please email me at: drshannon@doctorshannon.com AND PLEASE TELL YOUR BESTIES AND INVITE THEM TO SIP ON LIFE WITH US. FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @doctorshannon! See you there... Come over to the WOMEN SIPPING ON LIFE S.O.L. MOVEMENT Closed FB Group and Join the MOVEMENT: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WSOLMovement/ By the way, if you haven't already listened/downloaded my rap song (EPISODE 291), you can also listen to it here: letsnottalkaboutex.com, and cast your vote for your favorite version. Visit WomenSippingOnLife.com for more free resources, including my CHECKLIST FOR CHANGE, Engagement Checklist + Evaluation Rating, Six Sacred S.O.L. DATE Secrets…and a FREE copy of my best-selling book, Date Yourself Well. You can also check out my Dr. Shannon Facebook Pagefor more daily S.O.L. TRAINING. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow. Please invite your best girlfriends to come and join our S.O.L. PARTY. xo Dr. Shannon. Inspiring minds that want to grow and hearts that want to know, so you can love you, your life, and your life's work well. ONE SIP AT A TIME. A special thanks to the following souls for helping me launch our WOMEN SIPPING ON LIFE podcast… Intro/Outro done by UNI V. SOL  Outro music by Jay Man: Mind Over Matter (www.ourmusicbox.com)  Podcast cover design and web site done by: Pablo Aguilar (www.webdesigncreator.com) Podcast cover photo by Kate Montague of KM Captured (www.kmcaptured.com)

Today's episode will be a series I will be adding to the podcast: Ask Me Anything! A few weeks ago I put a question box on Instagram stories asking my community to put any questions they had for me to answer on the podcast and today I share the answers to those questions.If you want to learn more about Law of Attraction, Insecurity, top values in parenting and feeling stuck, then tune in to today's episode!If you have questions you want answered on a future AMA episode follow me on Instagram and send me a DM with your question.PS: There are some great Facebook and Instagram LIVES I have done over the last week on Purpose and weight - join the private Facebook community or follow me on Instagram to watch the videos.

You want to be non-monogamous but you can't stop feeling a way about your partner commenting or liking pictures of others. How do you deal? That's what's on this week's episode of Non-Monogamy Help. Find the full audio transcription of this episode on my website. Music for this podcast has been provided by Chris Albery-Jones at albery-jones.com and the art was made by Dom Duong at domduong.com! Email nonmonogamyhelp@gmail.com with your question.

Pre-Recorded WorkshopsLive WorkshopsDM Mitra what you felt about this episode

Steve and Cory talk about a recent report suggesting that economic insecurity is the driving force behind voting intentions in UK politics. You can read it here: https://politicscentre.nuffield.ox.ac.uk/research/nuffield-elections-unit/economic-insecurity-and-voting-intention/ Support us: patreon.com/NotEnoughChampagne Dave Depper composed our theme tune and James Cram designed our logo.

Everyone has insecurities of some sort. Most of the time, they stem from something that happened in childhood or perhaps from a traumatic event that occurred later in life. These insecurities can present themselves in many ways, both emotionally and physically.The American Psychological Association reports that insecurity is multifaceted. It pertains to an overall sense of uncertainty or anxiety about your worth, abilities, skills, and value as a person conveying the message that you're at risk or in danger of losing something or someone. It has a negative impact on your physical, mental, and emotional state. And without that security you're looking for, it makes you feel like you can't live up to your fullest potential.Insecurity can present itself in behaviors that are either others-focused or others-avoidant. Read further to find out how you can deal with your husband's insecurities and help him overcome them.Sign up for the webinar for Living Forward with David & Debbie Mathews:

Expert on food insecurity and CEO of Crossroads Community Services, Benaye wadkins Chambers, discusses how inflation and rising prices is leading to food insecurity for some families.

Just us today for a little solicited advice moment! Felt inspired after posting a question box on IG and realizing a lot of us are navigating A LOT of the same situations. So let's get into it - feeling stuck in your job, passion vs. career, re-defining purpose, getting attached after sex & feeling the feels, feeling insecure within friendships & a lack of reciprocity, moving on from an ex, knowing when to walk away, I mean - THE LIST GOES ON. We get into a little bit of everything and by we I mean me. LMK what you needed to hear. Hope something resonated.

The fastest-growing part of the world's waste stream is e-waste (unwanted or unusable consumer electronics). This is because technology continues to improve or evolve faster and faster, so electronics become outdated more quickly. Electronic items should not be thrown in the trash (or in landfills) because they contain toxins such as lead, mercury, and cadmium that can leach into the soil and water supplies. For these reasons alone, all electronics should be responsibly recycled. But they seldom are. A company called ERI specializes in the environmentally safe and socially responsible dismantling of electronic waste and ensures 100% data destruction and compliance. John Shegerian is the co-founder and Chairman/CEO of ERI. He is also the author of a book about hardware hacking called the Insecurity of Everything, which went to #1 on Amazon in the cybersecurity category. I invited him on Tech Talks Daily to discuss the scale of the problem and how e-waste plays a pivotal role in the circular economy. We discuss e-waste and data protection and the trends he believes will continue. I also learn more about the most significant factor driving the need for efficient data destruction and how serious a problem hardware hacking is. John also shares real-world examples of devices that store personal data that people don't even think about.

I was really lucky to have Professor Jane Green as my guest for the latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts as she's co-author of an important new report into British politics: "Red Wall, Red Herring? Economic Insecurity and Voting Intention in Britain". Along the way she politely demolished some of what I've said in the past and provided pointers for what the Liberal Democrats should do in the future. Feedback very welcome, and do share this podcast with others who you think may enjoy it. Show notes Red Wall, Red Herring? - full report from Jane Green and Roosmarijn de Geus. One of the key findings from the report. Will British politics become less volatile, and how important is ideology? - previous episode with Jane Green. Professor Jane Green on Twitter. Theme tune by Hugo Lee. New to listening to podcasts? Here are some tips on how to listen to podcasts. Enjoy the show? Spread the word Follow the show on Twitter. Like the show on Facebook. Share the show's website, www.NeverMindTheBarCharts.com.  

The World Trade Organization agreed on an unprecedented package of trade deals touching on health, reform and food security after a disagreement between countries on key issues forced the trade body to extend negotiations by two days. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says the package of agreements you have reached will make a difference in the lives of people around the world. The negotiations involving more than 100 trade ministers have been seen as a crucial test of the trade body's ability to strike multilateral trade deals at a time when rising geopolitical tensions are increasing protectionism and economic decoupling.

On today's show we're talking about energy insecurity and why we can expect to see continued high energy prices well into 2023. ------------------ Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

It has a population of 215 million but very few Nigerians have been untouched by incidents of violence and lawlessness which appear to have increased in recent months. Schools, colleges, churches, trains and roads have all been targeted, and people report feeling unsafe wherever they go. We hear the anguish of relatives involved in the recent armed attack on a church in Ondo state in south-west Nigeria, in which 40 people were killed and dozens wounded. A young woman describes the terror of being abducted with her sister and other students.

Dr Siddhant Bhargav on Stories with Rusty brings a fun side to the insightful conversations we have had about everything ranging from health, and medicine to entrepreneurship and content creation. #podcast #storieswithrusty In this episode 0:00 // Working and chilling 2:17 // Anxiety and taking yourself seriously 3:04 // Vedant's attitude 5:57 // Philosophy of excelling 7:15 // Why does Sid work late at night 10:15 // Sid making content 11:11 // Sid's new company 13:02 // Doctors' Community on Instagram 13:40 // Prioritising work and how it goes 14:10 // Working and making change 17:20 // Scaling your business 18:13 // Random Tech Talk 21:31 // Having Clarity 22:16 // Podcast and Earning Money 22:29 // How Vedant Works 24:32 // Does podcast get boring? 25:54 // How to get guests on Podcasts 27:40 // About Fame and lying to yourself 29:48 // Content Game 33:30 // About Health and Insecurity 40:43 // Magga 41:43 // Talking to people 44:15 // Random 45:15 // Living with Family 45:53 // Having Fun and doing things 48:17 // Delhi ka Ghar and Hotels 49:35 // Food Story 51:03 // How to have a good life physically 54:43 // Bio-hacking 56:07 // What do people think is “healthy” 57:00 // When do people want to “lose weight” 58:33 // Taking consultancy 59:40 // How to find the right dietician 1:01:01 // Healthy food supply companies 1:06:50 // Local healthy food companies 1:08:35 // Funding in Health 1:09:56 // Discussing Personalities 1:11:35 // Meeting Creators 1:19:15 // Networking and PR 1:21:41 // Creators we like meeting 1:24:01 // Random 1:24:26 // Creators we don't like meeting 1:26:09 // Alcohol and Drugs 1:28:22 // Ex-girlfriend stories 1:29:38 // Trying alcohol 1:30:58 // Coming to Bombay 1:31:25 // Outro kaise hota hai 1:32:03 // Podcast Culture 1:35:22 // What not to ask to podcast guests 1:36:21 // Outro

On today's episode I read about insecurity from Finding Awareness by Amit Padegar (@findingawareness) Instagram: @lifebytaylor TikTok: @lifebytaylor CLICK TO SCHEDULE A DISCOVERY CALL FOR MY GROUP PROGRAM! To purchase the book: "Ghost Town" Remake Audio by Hey Kwarb (https://soundcloud.com/heykwarb) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/taylor-amrani5/support

Katina and Olajuwon From Married At First Sign A Psychoanalysis On What Is Up With O (A Case Of Toxic Masculinity)  Link to original video: https://youtu.be/pJp03HzlIZAAbout Me. Education: I have a master's in marriage and family therapy and a Ph.D. in Human Behavior. Certification: I am a nationally certified counselor certified by the national board of certified counselors (https://www.nbcc.org/certification/ncc) My free ebook with these pieces and more that will teach you how to make a capsule wardrobe you can wear year round: http://eepurl.com/gSn_a5Follow me on Instagram: IG sophie_sticatedmomBlog: https://sophie-sticatedmom.comYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheSlreed84Podcast: https://sophie-sticatedmom.buzzsprout.comShop All My Products:https://sophie-sticatedmom.myshopify.com/Shop my style https://www.amazon.com/shop/sophie_sticatedmomWant to Donate? paypal.me/sophiesticatedmomCashapp $drsophiareed Want to Donate? paypal.me/sophiesticatedmomSupport the show

Happy Wednesday! Today we're talking full moon recovery, what I've been up to this weekend and why I needed a little break. Lana del rey and how she raised a whole generation of hot girls. Insecurities and things I faced as a teenager, young love and advice for the 19 year olds searching for love, building community. My favorite essentials for this season and lastly daydreaming, how to stop comparison and being a little delusional. Hope you all have a wonderful day and I'll see you at the end of the week! MUAH!

As women, battling insecurity is inevitable, but we are called to overcome it with God! SeaJay Liebscher and Erika Myburgh discuss how the root of insecurity is comparison. Insecurity stems from a lack of certainty and knowing that God did not make a mistake when he created us. We will win the battle against insecurity when we find our identity in Jesus, acknowledge that He is our source, steward gratitude by thanking God for how He made us and what He gave us, and surrounding ourselves with friends that will help us grow by reminding us of who we are.

If you ask any Nigerian today what the number one problem that they think political leadership should tackle - I am fairly certain security will be the overwhelming answer. In the last week alone there have been two deadly attacks in the Ondo state and Kaduna state with scores of people murdered in their homes and places of worship. Go back a week further, and the number of such murderous attacks would have risen to six. What many Nigerians depressing is that the problem is worsening and spreading to all parts of the country without any sign that it might abate anytime soon. Politicians seeking elective positions in next year's elections are making promises to end the crisis, but given how much it has gotten worse under the current administration despite similar promises leaves very little room for optimism. It is in the light of this that I speak to my guests on the podcast today James Barnett and Dr. Muritala Rufai. Our conversation is about what is now known as banditry in the Northwest of Nigeria. We talked about the origins of banditry, the nuances of the many factors at play, corruption, and the failure of local governance. Dr. Murtala Rufai is a professor of history at Usman Danfodiyo University in Sokoto.TRANSCRIPTTobi; So I'll start right at the end, which is not the most recent attack, but the Kaduna train attack was heavy in people's memory, and mentality, and maybe because of the status of some of the people that were involved. And in the weeks after there has been suggestions that the banditry issue is sort of evolving into something rather different. Maybe something akin to Boko Haram or ISWAP tactics. And some have even suggested that there are some evidence that both groups are now working together. So I like to take it from there because in both your paper your article on this, you suggested that this is a problem that has the potential to evolve even more dangerously. So is this part of that evolution? And if so, what can you tell us about the background to that and where it's likely to go next?James; ...In terms of the kind of the relationship between the bandits and Boko Haram, you know, the term that we talk more generally about jihadist because, really, there're kind of at least three different primary factions of what was once Boko Haram in Nigeria, today. There's ISWAP, there's the original Boko Haram, which we use the acronym JAS, which was led by Abubakar Shekau until May of last year when he was killed. And then there's also the Ansaru splinter faction of Boko Haram. So when looking at relationships between bandits and jihadists, I think if anything, our study was maybe a bit more skeptical of some of the claims that, you know, by 2021 (by last year) there was already more speculation. You had more comments from government officials, commentators, journalists saying, you know, the bandits, they are being recruited by Boko Haram, they're working together. I think our study was, in some ways, a bit more skeptical of the degree of, I would say, co-optation.You know, we kind of pushed back to some extent against this idea that the jihadists were coming in and recruiting all the bandits and that they were kind of transforming the conflict. I think our argument was that the conflict in the Northwest for now is very much still one being driven by the bandits rather than by Boko Haram or the jihadists. We do note, as you say, I think there's definitely room for closer potential cooperation. I think that from what we're beginning to see of the Kaduna train attack, the evidence so far, the details I've heard so far, there are kind of concerning issues there. But I think that for now, you know, even recognizing that the Kaduna train attack is a notable attack, a very serious one and obviously, the situation is still ongoing in terms of the the situation with the hostages, negotiations. So I think it's good to kind of avoid commenting too much right now as the situation is rather uncertain. But I think my view is still that one of the impediments that has, kind of, historically prevented the jihadists from getting closer to the bandits is that the bandits, for the most part, they really prized their autonomy. It's very much part of their modus operandi to operate very independently, they will cooperate with, you know, different gangs, will cooperate with each other, but banditry is definitely an activity that in some ways, kind of rewards autonomy. You know, the groups are not as rigidly structured as a jihadist organizations. It's an area where many people today if they want to get rich, they can take up arms and become a bandit. And so I think, because the bandits kind of value their autonomy, and also just given the fact that they've become, frankly, so powerful in recent years, they are not necessarily in such desperate need to kind of be recruited or trained or equipped or supported by jihadist. So I think my view is that there are opportunities from the perspective of Jihadist to work with bandits in certain instances, you know, to cooperate on certain operations. But I think, as we've seen with for example, especially the group Ansaru, which has tried in the past several years to recruit bandits to say, 'you should stop acting like bandits, you should join our group. Your fight is not with Muslim people. It's with the Nigerian government.' They go on this preaching tours and their efforts have really fallen flat. The bandits have not been interested in joining Ansaru. And so there have actually been many clashes. And recently, I think, as recently as a week ago, was the last one. And so, you know, the situation in Northwest is very volatile, many different militants, many different gangs, and sometimes they work together, sometimes they fight together, but I think for the foreseeable future, that the jihadist element to the northwest - this Boko Haram, this Ansaru...it's a problem, it's a challenge and makes things more complicated for sure. But I think that, in my view, the primary challenge in the Northwest is still bandits. It's not Boko Haram.Dr Rufai; I should just continue from where he stopped. You see, the fundamental problem is that the bandits are not in any way a monolithic criminal formation. There are quite a number of bandit gangs and also bandit groups operating separately and individually. Now having the unity of the bandits into a one united organization, for instance, is indeed a very difficult exercise. Because when we talk about a bandit group or a bandit gang, we've seen cases and instances where three, four, five people, for instance, form up a gang. And they have their own independent and absolute autonomy. They could actually do and undo, they may decide to go on attack, they may decide to carry out abduction, they may decide to do whatever they feel like doing. So now, putting all these bandits together into a one single platform - it is indeed a very difficult exercise. And there are also quite a number of them that consider this jihadist group including Boko Haram, Ansaru and ISWAP that he pointed out clearly, as their traditional enemies, and on several locations attempts by these groups to bring to the fore the members of the bandits, for instance, became so much challenging to the extent that some of the bandit groups and also bandit leaders were making it very clear to them that our problem as you were arguing is not with the Nigerian state - that is what we fail to understand. The problem of banditry is basically and fundamentally local. Until probably recently, that the whole conflict is now taking a more national dimension. You go to the rural areas, you interact with the pundits, they will tell you that their problem is local and solution to their problem also remain local.Local in the sense that they more or less have problem with the an sake - with the vigilante - and other local authorities than even with their state governors. So now, my argument has always been: bringing this bandits, about 120 gangs operating separately and loosely, individually, into a one single platform to probably relate with any of the jihadist groups or any of the criminal group like the case of Boko Haram, ISWAP and Ansaru is actually going to be a very difficult exercise. But I am also not disputing the fact that there are very few number of these bandits that subscribe to the view of either Ansaru or Boko Haram. For instance, the general believe and also accusation which is actually not confirm about the train attack is actually something executed and conducted under the leadership of Ali Kachalla. Ali Kachalla has been a very good friend of Dogo Gide, who were all initially bandits under the control of Buharin Daji. Now, there is that possibility of having that continuity in the relationship between Ali Kachalla, who was until probably recently, a bandit, relating with Dogo Gide who is actually his traditional friend while they were under the leadership and control of Buharin Daji. Of course, going by the pattern of the attack. In terms of the train attack, for instance, we've seen actually certain features and characteristics that differ slightly the case of the bandit. And that is why people have the belief that there must be actually connections with [an]other international terrorist group like ISWAP... some said it's ISWAP. some are even talking about Ansaru, and people also talking about the involvement of Boko Haram. But we've also seen historically, as far back as 2016 - 2017, when some Boko Haram elements were sent to the northwest to come and actually recruit and create a certain ideology on the bandits. At the end of the day, some of these members of Boko Haram became bandits. Because of what? Because they feel there is comfort, there is joy, there is freedom, and also there is wealth in banditry compared to Boko Haram.And that has to do with nothing other than the level of independence and autonomy that is within the bandit world.James; I would just jump in really quickly. I think he did a very good job of explaining how the bandits prize their autonomy and that issue with the jihadists. He brought up the character Dogo Gide who I think is worth describing very quickly.He's an interesting figure in terms of understanding, okay, who's a bandit, who's a jihadist, maybe [for] some of the listeners who don't follow these issues as closely. But he's someone that we profiled a bit in our article, our study for the CTC Sentinel, which is a big research report on the bandit-jihadist relations. And he's someone very interesting because he's a bandit, but he has had very close ties with jihadists for several years. There are disagreements, you know, different sources, different people will place his first contact with jihadists at different points. But he's someone that a couple of years ago, he was mostly saying, 'I don't have any ties with Boko Haram.'He is denying any relationship with the jihadist. But now in the past year or so he started to act as if he is a jihadist. But even as we did when we were digging through and doing our analysis, what we found is that he is maybe even now pretending to be more of a jihadist than he really is. Because he will release these videos or he will be communicating with intermediaries, he will be trying to sound like a jihadist, but he doesn't actually even know the proper Arabic phrases. In one instance, he refers to the leader of ISIS to suggest that he is a member of Daesh or ISIS, but he's referring to the dead leader, who's been dead for over a year. And so I think it's one of the challenges of doing this research in the northwest. It's why I think it's good to be very cautious and skeptical and try to kind of scrutinize all the data coming out. Because on the one hand, sometimes like Dogo Gide a couple of years ago, he would have understated his contacts with jihadists. He would have pretended that he doesn't have any at all. Whereas in fact, we do know that he has.He has been in contact with various jihadists for some time. But then he could also maybe overstate his level of influence. Because there are instances in which the bandits find it advantageous to maybe assume the appearance of jihadists because they think it will make them seem more powerful, or because they think that it will give them some sort of advantage in negotiations, for example. That was the case with the Kankara abductions back in December 2020 that was conducted by Awwal Daudawa in Katsina. So it's a very important question, you know, how much are these bandits and jihadists working together? And it's one that I think requires a bit of a skeptical eye. Because sometimes things are not necessarily as they appear on the surface. And sometimes these bandits… they have [a] complicated kind of calculus that will determine how they interact with jihadists, whether they want to give you the jihadists credit for an operation or something like that. So I think that the Dogo Gide example is a very interesting one.Tobi; The sense I'm getting is 'this a bit hard to predict, because the tactics and the motives are constantly changing.' So before I draw you guys into the issue of causality, which is going to be my next question, briefly, given where James stopped, do you think that's part of the reason why the government and security forces have not been able to deal with this issue? Because it's constantly in flux, it's unpredictable? And like he said, there is need for a patient and cautious strategy. Also, and this is a bit speculative, are there people in government to your knowledge who are also aware, and why is that not reflecting in the security approach?Dr. Rufai; Well, you see, what is important about the approach to this particular security threat, in my opinion, is to have a detailed, deeper, and clearer understanding of the issues. And even within the bandit cycle, for instance, we've seen people in the rural areas with AK 47 and AK 49, 24/7, that are not bandits. You can see a major problem now. When you define a bandit on the basis of weapon, for instance, you've completely missed the issue. Why? Because some of these people bearing these weapons are, basically, and fundamentally, using them for self-defense. Without these weapons, for instance, the bandits will within a twinkle of an eye, wipe them out. And that becomes a very serious problem and also challenging to the Nigerian security operatives as well. So, now, the government actually, in my opinion, the security operatives are doing their utmost best, but their best is not enough. It is not enough because there is still a gap. And what is that gap? A knowledge gap of what actually is happening in the field. It is not just about going kinetic. Before you go kinetic, before you take the kinetic approach, for instance, it is far more important to have an underground knowledge of what is obtainable in the rural areas. For instance, the Gide we are talking about, a long time ago, has established a mutual relationship and understanding with the rural communities. And I'm telling you, the rural communities around Dansadau, around Baba Doka, around Birnin Gwari, around Madada, around Dandala will never or have never seen Dogo Gide as a problem or as a threat.That, rather, what he is after is the abduction of school children, abduction of expatriates, and his major problem is with the federal government. And as long as he will keep on fighting the State, the local communities have no problem with him, they may even decide to support him.And at times, getting credible intelligence from the rural areas by the security agencies becomes a very serious problem, because the rurals will rather relate with the bandits than with the Nigerian state. You can see a major problem, a major problem here. And again, because of this level of intermingling between the bandits, where areas that are dominated by the bandits. And also, with Boko Haram elements, where areas dominated by the Boko Haram elements with the rural communities, it becomes a very difficult exercise for the security agencies to execute operations in those areas. And the major dilemma they are facing today, I'm talking about the agencies - the security agencies - is the issue of the collateral damage. If at all you are going to address this issue head-on, then definitely the issue of the collateral damage will be 100%. Why, because, you cannot differentiate who is a bandit and who is not? Who is a member of Boko Haram, and who is not? Who is a passive and active collaborator of these people? And these are some of the issues that actually compounded the issue more. So we cannot say that the security agencies are not doing anything in the field. But, in my opinion, what they are doing is not enough. What is important is not going to kinetic alone, but let us have a clearer and deeper understanding of the issues. And for that to be done, a lot of underground research(es) needs to be conducted, and a lot of sensitization and mobilization, and winning the support and confidence of the rurals or the locals must be done without which I think we are likely going to continue this war to a foreseeable future.Tobi; You want to weigh in James? James; Yeah, I guess I would just add... I think in addition to everything that Dr. Rufai has just said, one other challenge, as Dr Rufai noted in a previous answer to your question that, you know, the issue with banditry in many ways is very local. But it's also become much more of a national issue. And this also, in some ways, complicates the response of the state because the state itself is not monolithic, right.If you look at, you know, who is involved in trying to address this issue of banditry, very often these issues are occurring at a very local level, within a particular district within a particular emirate within a particular local government area. But also, it's become much more of a national issue.The security forces, particularly the military, since the launch of the first major military offensive operation [...] - that was now what? six, seven years ago. The military has also been engaged in the northwest in these anti-banditry operations. And so sometimes, there have been issues of a lack of coordination between all the various stakeholders on the side of, you know, the governments, if you will - broadly defined to include district officials, traditional rulers, local stakeholders like that - where sometimes you'll have one community [that] is actually attempting to negotiate something like a peace deal with some of the local bandits or an amnesty with the local bandits at the same time that the military is conducting a military offensive in the area. And so this kind of erodes trust. Or likewise, there will be times where, you know, a certain area is being really badly affected by the bandits, but the military's focusing on another area because their forces are overstretched. And so I think it's one of the challenges that Nigeria faces so far is looking at, okay, who are the authorities or the stakeholders that are tasked with addressing this issue of banditry? And how can you increase the coordination between the state governments; but also between the state and the federal governments; between the states and the local governments; between the formal authorities and the more informal or traditional authorities which in many regions still have very significant informal influence. So that's also been one of the challenges. And it's reflected to some extent, as he noted in the very fractured nature of the bandits themselves. We were discussing this yesterday with some colleagues of mine here at Unilag after the presentation, one of whom is from the Niger Delta area, and we're comparing and contrasting. He was saying, why can't they do what they did in the Delta? You know, what is the difference between what's happening in the Delta and what's happening in the Northwest? And Dr. Rufai put it very well. He said, you know, in the Delta, the militants can speak with one or two or three voices. But this is a big challenge for the bandits. So, anyone can form a gang these days, there are just so many bandits that there's no one person you can talk to, that represents all the bandits and you can negotiate.Dr. Rufai; And I think, added to the issue of interagency rivalry that he's talking about, it is actually a major challenge. And when you look at the operations against banditry in the northwest today, it has become a military affair. And if all is well, if teams are moving the way they should, this is an issue that's supposed to be addressed by the police. But where are the Nigerian police force today when you're talking about banditry? Nobody talks about the police. And not even the police, for instance, we have the Civil Defense. These are very local problems, local security challenges that actually supposed to be addressed by these people. But as we speak today, it is actually the military that is in charge of addressing some of these issues. And look at it, the role of the military, within the context of provision of internal security, for instance... virtually there are so many operations taking place, virtually in every part of the country. 36 states, including Abuja, for instance, you'll find different military operations. Look at the number of the military within the context of the increasing rate of crime and the violence, insecurity, for instance, the two cannot in any way match. And that becomes a very serious problem. And by extension, the military [personnel] are overstretched and overwhelmed by the level of conflict taking place in the country. And not only that, this problem of banditry just like I said earlier, is basically a local problem. And it is something that actually requires the activities of special forces. Do we really have the special forces within even the military, for instance, to address this issue? Because there's not just an affair of [the military]. Of course, nobody is talking about the State Department and the underground role they are supposed to play in this. So virtually, it is the military operating alone.And this same military [personnel] we're talking about are gradually overwhelmed by the volume, and also the gravity of the problem. They don't even know, in some cases, where to start from. Identifying who is their friend and who is their enemy becomes a problem. The attack on the train, the Abuja-Kaduna train we are talking about, is not in any way aimed at the victims. Rather, to send a danger signal to the Nigerian state. And they've actually succeeded in doing that. And as we speak, identifying where these people are, becomes a huge problem to virtually all the security agencies. Simply because of what? Because of lack of harmony, lack of coordination, and lack of peaceful working relations amongst all the security agencies.Tobi; I don't want to lean too hard on the security angle, at least for now. Because I mean, primarily, you guys are researchers, not policy advisors, at least for the purpose of this conversation. So let's go back for a little bit. Because in your work, you guys stated that the manifestation of this is multi-dimensional. There’s elements of criminality going on, economic opportunism in inter-ethnic clashes, you know, there's also the issue of climate change and damage to the environment and the strain that puts on resources between farmers and herders and many other interests. But what ties these all together? Right? How did this become such a national Flashpoint? Because I recall, maybe, 2016 when these attacks started blasting on the pages of newspapers, we don't even know the word bandit. Right? Bandit made it into the national Zeitgeist much later. It was always herders, Fulani herdsmen, you know. At some point, the presidency was claiming that they're actually foreigners who come to attack locals and carry out criminality and all that. So help me in as many words as you can untangle the causality of this. How did this escalate?James; I think Dr. Rufai can give the ... I mean, it's very multi-dimensional. And he's the historian and has been looking at this for a long time. And you know, in our different reports, we've explained this, yes, there's issues of land use, there's [the] issue of ethnicity, all these different factors that go into it. I think the one that I always stress, and these coming from my background, I worked in Washington, DC for several years, I'm still in contact with people there. Like, when people talk about farmer-herder conflict in Africa, and very often in DC, the first thing is that people have a very reductionist view of it.That's in many ways, kind of, very apolitical in some ways. They think farmers and herders used to get along, and then climate change meant there were fewer and there's fewer land, fewer resources and so now they're fighting each other. And climate change is definitely real, it's definitely a problem. It's absolutely aggravating the situation there. But I think that leaning too hard on the climate change angle, and you see sometimes governments doing this, not just Nigeria, but other governments: they'll say, ah, you know, the problem here is climate change - it's a way to escape responsibility, right? Because you throw up your hands and say, we didn't do this. Tobi; It's not my fault.James; It's not my fault. I think that one of the central issues that is seen in every aspect of how this conflict escalated from people becoming angry, to the weapons flowing into the region, to people not trusting their neighbors, to not trusting the authorities… one of the central issues is corruption.And this is an issue everywhere in Nigeria, right? It's not just in the northwest. But the specific ways it played out in the northwest, I think had a very pivotal role to play. From people not feeling that they could trust the criminal justice system or the authorities to handle disputes or legal matters related to land use, farmer-herder issues. Herdsmen felt that they were really being extorted because they were seen as kind of an easy target by authorities… whether it's the police, village heads, judges in the courts, they were seen as people that can easily be extorted. And then just everything from the fact that I mean, the IGP announced the other day that something like 85,000 AK 47s that belong to the police are unaccounted for. Tobi; Yeah.James; Right. And you wonder how you go out and, you know, we both interview bandits, we've seen nine-year-olds with AK 47s? How is it that that happens? It's not all coming from the Nigerian military or police stockpiles. But you know, there are many reasons that there are so many weapons in West Africa today.But corruption is a huge challenge, both in the inability to prevent weapons from flowing into and around the country. And also the fact that very often weapons that are intended for use by the Nigerian state find their way into the hands of criminals.So I could go on and on that, but I think interviewing people in the Northwest, and you ask them how did this start? Very often they'll talk about corruption.Dr. Rufai; I think he has actually said it all. What is far more important is the issue of corruption, the issue of corruption he's talking about. But again, added to that is, the collapse in our family value system actually added to the crisis. Situations where we have families that could not in any way take care of their children. Within the context of, in some cases, poverty, unemployment, underemployment, all play significant roles in the conflict. And also within the context of the traditional authorities again, it's become a very serious problem. And the point he pointed out on the issue of corruption. Corruption within the traditional rulers contributed and contributed significantly to the escalation of the conflict. But there are a lot of issues lumped together, more especially this issue of injustice.All people contacted and also interacted, interviewed on this issue of rural banditry are pointing to the issue of injustice. Injustice in all sense of the word. Injustice from the traditional authorities, injustice from the security agencies, injustice from virtually every angle of the society, and that plays a very important role, and it serves as a unifying factor that contributed to and that unite virtually most of the bandits together. For instance, you see them also talking about the activities of the vigilante and the an sake. And when you look at the operations of the vigilante and the an sake, it's nothing other than the idea of extrajudicial killings. The level of extrajudicial killings actually taking place in the rural areas is unimaginable even before the issue of rural banditry becomes a problem. And that is why the Fulani people feel they are not actually taken care of, they are absolutely rejected and detected by the Nigerian states and they feel they are on their own. And the best thing to do is to fight for their freedom. And that idea of freedom fighting, forming a union, or a gang for the Fulani liberation movement, for instance, was the bedrock of the banditry.So there are a lot of issues put together. And more so, within the context of the Fulani, they feel the presidency, for instance, Mr. President is a Fulani and they feel if at all they need to be taken care of, there is no regime that's supposed to take good care of them other than this particular regime that the head is someone that is their own - one of them. And that becomes a problem. And you see some of them lamenting and lamenting bitterly about the level of neglect by the State - by both the federal government and also the state government. And when you look at it, [the] absence of state presence plays also a very important role in the rural areas. Infrastructure-wise, for instance, the presence of security in the rural areas is virtually zero. I am talking about villages, I am talking about rural areas. You go to a village with 3000-4000 people, you cannot in any way see a single presence of the State, and that becomes a huge problem. So there is this type of high level of disconnection between the rural world and the urban world. And now, it is the rural world fighting in the urban world. Because of what? Because the rural world was neglected, the rural world was not taken care of, the rural world was absolutely spared from [infrastructure-wise] what we see in the urban centers. And that also constitutes a major problem. Talking about the issue of climate change, talking about the farmer-header issue, in my opinion, are just issues that are of secondary importance to this violent conflict. There has been farmer-herder conflict right from day one, right from the onset. And not only that, traditionally, conflict resolution mechanisms or dispute resolution mechanisms, for instance, were actually at work, and also addressing the farmer-herder clashes. And then the question is, where are they? Taken away by so many things, taken away by the issue of injustice, by the issue of corruption, and lack of respect for traditional authorities.And today, some of these traditional authorities, village heads, district heads, and to some extent, emirs, in Zamfara, in Sokoto, and in other places are under the control of these bandits. Simply because no state presence, no security presence, and the only thing they think they will do is to listen to the bandits.Dance according to the tune of these bandits, and also subscribe to the view of the bandits. Not because they want to do so, but because they were neglected by the federal and the state authorities. And that constitutes a very big problem. Unless we get some of these things right, unless we fix some of these issues, lacuna, and problems associated with the rural areas, I don't think peace will actually elude some of our urban centers and even at the national level.Tobi; It's so important for me to talk about this because in trying to analyze a lot of these issues, some things become a talking point. Right. And even though the government's censorious stance kicks in to quell some of these things, but they do happen. Whether it's on social media, or on internet radios, that's why I'm trying to tease out the issue of causality. Because some people will tell you, without any iota of doubt, that there is a Fulanisation agenda going on and that is the underlying driver of this. Some will say there is a systematic massacre of Christians going on in that region, that has drawn the attention of the Trump administration on religious persecution and so many other issues. So it's very important for the purpose of the audience, and you know, Nigeria is a diverse multi-ethnic society, it's easy for certain talking points to get away and... I mean, it becomes something else. So, now, I get you correctly. Even the issue of causality is not just one thing. But I'm saying it, maybe you guys are not, there's a huge level of state failure going on. Right. Now, my question then is, elections: politicians are campaigning again. As a matter of fact, one thing I learned from this conversation is that nobody is even talking about the issue of restructuring or decentralization of power in the context of this conflict. Right? We are talking about VAT or how to administer Lagos or Port Harcourt or Kaduna. So nobody is even talking about how empowering local governance, local institutions can actually bring peace, you know.But today, if you ask everybody, insecurity is the number one national issue. You know, all politicians are saying that if you elect me, I'm going to solve this... So then my question is, given the level of state failure that I am saying that I can tease out from this conversation, if you have to sketch some kind of starting point or an attempt at addressing the issue, where would you start from?Dr. Rufai; Excuse me, please, I think you've raised very critical issues that require [a] deeper and clearer explanation.Tobi; Please go on.Dr. Rufai; The first issue is the Fulanisation of maybe Nigeria or northern Nigeria, or whatever. I think if at all, there is an ethnic group that is understudied, and that is still less clear in terms of the nature, the operations, and the relationship, I think it's the Fulani.There is a high level of internal division, internal rivalry, and internal conflict among the Fulani. They are not in any way a one united ethnic group as we see, in the case of the Hausa, in the case of the Nupe, and, to some extent, in the case of the Yoruba, and the case of the Igbo.These are people that are so much attached to their traditional and local way of life. Even if you are born and brought up a Fulani, if you don't have respect and value for the Fulani culture, they don't consider you as part of them. And that is why 90%, let me not exaggerate - 60 or 70%, of the victims of rural violence, rural insecurity, rural banditry are Fulani. And 90% of the victims are not just Fulani, are also Muslims. You get the point. And you interact with some of these bandits, you talk about, okay, this person you killed, this person you rustled [their] cattle, this person you intimidate, this village you actually raided, for instance, it is a Fulani dominated village, they will tell you that that particular person, that particular village, that particular community you're talking about, we don't consider them as members of the Fulani. They are not in any way respected within the Fulani circle. They have their own code of conduct that serves as their guiding principles, that serve as their Constitution. Whoever strays away from that code of conduct, for instance, they have no value, no respect for him. And there is also a striking difference between an urban and the rural Fulani. For instance, the town Fulani is different from the village Fulani, the village Fulani is different from the nomadic Fulani, the nomadic Fulani is different from the stationed Fulani. All these nuances are not really clear. Now, if you decide to create a whole northern Nigeria to be under the control of the Fulani, I am sure there will be a lot of crisis and a lot of conflict, internal dynamics and internal differences will not even allow that to happen. Now, in spite of all this, if you have the knowledge and understanding of this, you go by the code of conduct, if you also don't speak the Fulfulde language, they have no respect and no value for you. These are things that people don't understand.Talking about now, a Fulani agenda, trying to create... No. And when it comes to the issue of suppression, exploitation, high level of injustice, I think the level of injustice committed against the Fulani in Nigeria could not be compared with injustice committed against any other ethnic group in Nigeria. These are people that I don't want to use the word docile, but are people that don't voice out. They are people that actually have this idea of not forgiving, and also not forgetting. You commit a crime, you cheat a Fulani man, for instance, today, if he sees you after 10-20 years, he will remember. And he will also wait for a chance and a better opportunity to retaliate. So now, we are simply paying the price of social injustice, exploitation, extortion that we've committed against these people over time, and it has manifested. And that is why when they decided to form up a union in 2011, you find a large number of Fulani people with long historical and deep-rooted grievances populating the gang. Virtually the first generation of the bandits, for instance, have that feeling.And you see if I am given the opportunity today….Tobi; Yeah.Dr. Rufai; To address the problem of rural banditry as the president of this country... I think the easiest way to address the issue is local government autonomy, no more, no less. If you give local government autonomy today, you have no problem with the rural areas. Rural communities will actually hold their local government Chairmen accountable, their are counselors accountable. And when there was local government autonomy in the past, for instance, we've seen the level of infrastructural development taking place in the rural areas. Because every area, every ward, every community has a representative in the local governance. And for instance, you cannot be relating with the local authorities, with the local government chairman without complaining and we've seen the level of projects executed by these local government chairmen in the rural areas. And some of these projects we're talking about are still there in the rural areas. But the major bottleneck is governance will certainly not allow that to happen unless and until they are overpowered, or else they will not allow local government autonomy. They will not because they are the ones controlling the resources. All local government resources go to the state governments. And when you go to the local government areas to the rural areas, you find virtually nothing. So now, if you have this idea of local governance, they are given their autonomy, they get their subvention directly from [the] Federal [Governement], monthly, for instance, you don't even need to hold these local government Chairmen accountable over what is happening in rural areas, the local communities will be the one putting pressure on them to work. And you set in also the idea of high level of competition among the local government chairmen, everyone will be competing. And whenever and wherever there is a rural or a local violence, rural conflict coming up, you hold the local government chairman accountable. So I think, in my opinion, the answer to some of these problems revolves around local government.James; I think, and I would agree with everything you said there, and I think, unfortunately, not to be too pessimistic but that's one reason I don't see this situation dramatically improving anytime soon. Because all of these issues, you know, I'm not an expert in Nigerian governance, but looking at like the security sector, for example, which is a scenario maybe I'm a bit more familiar with. We got a question when we gave our presentation at the University of Lagos yesterday, and one of the questions I got was about state police, people are always fighting about state police. And as I was talking to the person who asked the question after the presentation; I was like, Look, I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other about state police versus Federal Police. All I can say is that there's not going to be some law that just creates state police tomorrow, like, that's not going to happen. Because it all ties into larger questions of the federal structure. You can't just have, you know, a reform of the police into the state police level in a vacuum. Everything is about this larger question of the structure of the federal government, which also gets into this question of oil rents, and you know, how the government funds itself. And so you're not going to be able to pick at these little issues so much and say, Okay, we'll do a bit, we'll restructure the police to the state police, we'll give local government autonomy because all of it ties into this bigger question about the structure of the Nigerian state. And I don't have like a vision for, oh, here's how you should reconstruct Nigeria to improve all these issues. But it's simply an observation that many of these reforms or these kinds of challenges that people have identified that I think are already very much in the public consciousness about, you know, people are demanding local government autonomy, state police, all that stuff...there's a reason that hasn't happened yet. And it's because there are significant structural political impediments to that happening. And so I think that if you know, if the problem really is that, okay, it's the structure of the federal police force, that that's one of the major challenges, then that's not something that's going to be solved overnight.Tobi; One thing that came to my mind now is the issue of power generation. National Assembly just passed a law that would actually require the ratification of two-thirds of the states... good luck with that happening...that then allows state governments to generate their own power. So we've all been locked into this dysfunctional structure. So like you, James, I'm not super optimistic. But one thing I want to push you guys on... your work is gaining a lot of exposure and I'm sure a lot more international exposure is still ahead. Hopefully, there'll be a book. So, now, one thing that regularly comes up is....there was a time the President even wrote an op-ed, on the Financial Times asking for international aid, and security, securing weapons, lifting some of the restrictions, and all that. My point is, how should the international community engage on this banditry issue? Because we just talked about how the security forces sometimes are not the appropriate force level contact for some of these problems. There have been issues of extrajudicial killings even by the security forces, there's the huge issue of excessive force, even in bombings, air raids, you know, collateral damage, and all that. And the same government that controls the security forces then goes to the international community, whether it's the EU, or China, or the United States for aid and assistance in tackling insecurity. But, given the complexity of this issue, how should the international community engage on this [issue]?James; It's really tough. The international community, I think, when we say that what you really mean is like Western governments...Tobi; Absolutely...James; China, depending on what the context is...Tobi; Yeah. There's a Western alliance.James; Yeah, exactly. The Western alliance. I think these conflicts are so complex, deep-rooted in these kinds of systemic issues in Nigeria. And frankly, we just don't have a great track record, you know, speaking as an Oyinbo man, we don't have a great track record of intervening in complex conflict situations like this. I think that one thing that I was very wary of... this is something that we kind of touched on a bit at the end of our study on jihadisation is that, you know, for now, the bandits have a much more parochial local agenda than the jihadists.Dr. Rufai; Yeah.James; This Ansaru, one of the things that was really interesting interviewing with people who had heard Ansaru preach in their villages, in these villages Birnin Gwari, they would say: yeah, Ansaru, they're always complaining about America. They're always saying: your fight is not with Nigeria, your fight is not with this, your fight is with America. They're the great Satan, they're hurting us. And these people they think, 'huh?' you know, that doesn't really resonate with them. They think 'no, no, my complaint is with the local governments and you know, the fact that I don't have roads and school and stuff,' they're not thinking in terms of this big ideological struggle. And I think it's the same for the bandits, you know.I was able to interview several bandits who... they see me, a foreigner, a Christian man, they're just oh, they're very interested. They want to learn, oh, what's the, you know... they're even asking what's Bature land, like, you know, are there different tribes of Bature? Very curious, they did not have these strong preconceived notions about the West and whether or not it's a friend or an enemy. It was very remote to them, you know. And so I think that if you had the kind of Western powers coming in and taking a more visible role in, for example, security assistance or something, then in some ways you'd be giving propaganda to the jihadist right, you know. And I'm not saying anyone's suggesting this now. But since your question was okay, the Nigerian military is not handling the situation sufficiently, what can the international community do? I do not think that the answer is to kind of take on a more forceful role, right? If you had these, like Reaper drones flying over northwestern Nigeria, these bandits, you know, their fight is a local fight. But all of a sudden, they're getting pursued by US military hardware, they go what's happening? And then that's the moment that Ansaru can say, ah, we told you, you see? Your real enemy is America. Dr. Rufai; Yeah. James; You weren't bothering anyone but these Americans, they're ideologically hell-bent on killing Muslims. And so that's why you have to join us. So I think this is a very long way... I'm not giving you a satisfactory answer, I'm just saying what I think we shouldn't do. But I think that it's important to stress that level of caution that whatever approach, the ''international community'' takes, I think it needs to be very careful, very clear to let Nigerians lead on this, to not be taking a too visible role in some ways, especially on the security front. And I think that's a challenge, right? Because as you know, it's a dilemma in some ways, because the Nigerian security forces have not shown the capacity to handle this. But I think that very often, you know, the medicine can be worse than the disease. And so I think that that's kind of my word of caution. But I'll let Dr. Rufai...Tobi; I get you and I'll get to Dr. [Rufai] in a minute, so my question is actually a lot more subtle than that. Of course, everything you say is true. If you have drones flying over the Northwest, this will certainly make it worse but what I'm asking is [that] there is some engagement going on, either it is funding or it is selling military hardware to the Nigerian government, that probably makes this worse? Maybe not directly, from the Western alliance…But, what I'm saying is, how should the engagement change if it's going to, to be a bit more progressive? Even if it is to fund more local researchers to better understand the problem? Right? I mean, to say the obvious, at least for me, in this particular case, it took an Oyinbo man, like you said, to be aware of his work. James; Yeah, it's true. It's one of the challenges.Tobi; Which is not supposed to be so. Right? So I'll go back to that point, how exactly should engagement be, even at [the] diplomatic level? Not just force? How do we better make the incentive and issues clear? Dr, you can weigh in?Dr. Rufai; You see, in my own opinion, rather than going too much international, looking at the Western world... I think, to address this issue properly and adequately, the Nigerien government [Niger Republic] has a better, clearer, and deeper understanding of Northwest's problem, unfortunately, than even the Nigerian state.Because when these conflicts actually started, it was more or less a cross-border issue between Nigeria and Niger. And what the Nigerien Government fantastically did during that period, is to profile all the bandits along the border. Both on the Nigerian side, and also on the Nigerian side. Not just an ordinary profiling, but rather to have the names, the locations, and also the family background of each and every potential bandit. And of course, they succeeded in drawing a map of their locations, and also their relationships. And when that was also going on, for instance, every local head... I mean, either the village head, or a district head, or an emir in Niger, for instance, in that particular part of the world, they have the names of these people. And these people or these bandits, for instance, were declared wanted. And we've seen, of course, going by my interviews, and also fieldwork in some part of Niger, where whenever a bandit comes in, they alert the authorities. And that was how they succeeded in picking [a] larger number of them that are in Niger. On the Nigerian side, when the Northwestern governors, for instance, feel there is need for collaboration with their counterparts in Niger. Of course, they had series of meetings with the governors of Northwest - Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, and the rest. But their unfortunate conclusion is that we are not serious people, these governors are not in any way committed to ending banditry anytime soon. Because there were, of course, some series of joint operations, but at the end of the day, the Nigerien side that were committed, and also ready to end the problem, were rather given out to the bandits.To the extent that they lost some of their officers and men in the course of fighting banditry. And they felt that is basically coming from the neglect of the Nigerian or the Northwestern authorities. And on that basis, they cease to assist, they cease to discuss issues related to insecurity in the Northwest of Nigeria. And not only that, if today, the Nigerien government decides to strengthen its border security, the movement of small arms and light weapons into the northwest, into Nigeria, will certainly reduce and reduce drastically. But since they feel we are not serious people, we are not committed to end[ing] the problem, or the security challenges, for instance, they let it go and they loosely operate along the border. And we've seen cases and instances where people were saying that, okay, there are cases of people moving into the country with arms and ammunition across the border, but Nigerien border officials, for instance, will decide to even close their eyes and feel nothing is happening. And some of these arms and ammunition as long as they aren't going to be used in Niger, they let it move into the northern part [of Nigeria]. So instead of looking for assistance, financial, funding, selling [buying] of military hardware from the Western world, the problem still remains local. I said it's local because you cannot differentiate [between] the people who live in Daura, the President's hometown for instance, and the people who live in Kwangalam, which is in Niger Republic. It is a stone's throw. They are the same father... people from the same father and the same mother, they are people of the same family. And now, there could be other forms of engagement at the local level without necessarily engaging or even involving the state government, not to talk about the federal government. So if you strengthen this old relationship between these border communities, it is enough, for instance, for you to address the issue. And the unfortunate scenario, the unfortunate happening and now is that you see two-three kilometres... for instance, if you take Illela, you can trek from Illela which is in Nigeria in Sokoto State to Kwani, which is just three-four kilometres to Kwani. And you see absolute peace, absolute security, absolute harmony in Kwani, and a high level of insecurity in Illela. And what the larger number of the people in Illela do now is when it is 6 'o' clock, they trek down to the other side of the border...To sleep!To some extent not even sleep in houses, in villages... they sleep in an open space along the border. Wake up in the following morning and move to Nigeria for their daily business and economic activities. So one begins to wonder what is actually happening?Not only in Illela, you go to Kwangalam, you find the same thing. You go to the Medujia, you find the same thing. You go to Jibia, you find the same thing. You ask the question, what is actually happening? And today, some of these border communities have more confidence, trust, pride in the Nigerien security than the Nigerian security. And in an event of [an] attack, they'd rather call the Zandarma, for instance, in Niger to call other security operatives along the border in Niger than to call Nigerian security operatives. So the trust, confidence, is not there at all. So if now we can strengthen international relations within these border areas, look at issues around ECOWAS protocol, for instance, free movement and all that, strengthen that aspect. I think it is something that will go a long way in addressing some of these challenges.Rather than seeking for funds, military hardware, support, from the international communities. And no right-thinking nation in the Western world will engage itself or involve itself in the mess that is happening in Nigeria because it is a local problem.It is a local problem. You get the point. And probably the only thing I think they will do in cases like that is to provide, probably, the necessary advice, the necessary military training, and all that. If not, nobody will just come directly and get themselves into that. And not only that, the major people, people having a very serious threat on this are basically the Chinese. As we speak, there are a large number of Chinese nationalities that were abducted by these bandits. Though some people say bandit and I argue, I said, no, not bandit, rather, Boko Haram, Ansaru, and the rest of them.Because they are people that relate directly with the rural communities. And because of that relationship, they are vulnerable to abduction. And unfortunately, if you interact with some of these Chinese nationalities, the information and the news you will get from them is frightening. It's frightening because we've seen instances and situations where the security guards that are supposed to provide security to these people were the same people collaborating, serving as informants, serving as spy agents to some of these bandits, and also to some of these Boko Haram members.Meaning they facilitate the abduction of these nationalities. And at the end of the day, they will get their own share of the loots. So, there are lots of ugly stories taking place in the country, at times is even better you don't know than you know because you know you won't even say. Because the situation is completely hopeless.James; I think that last point... the penultimate point about strengthening cooperation with Nigeria and Niger. I think that's a great comment, in part because, also, it's not something that the international community, you know, the Western powers needs to do. The mechanisms for that exist, right? Tobi; Yeah.James; You have ECOWAS, you already have all these bilateral forums and stuff between them. So it's just there needs to be the political will on both sides to actually work together on this. This isn't something that you need to turn to Washington or Brussels or London for. These mechanisms for Regional Cooperation already exist, it's just a question of whether there's the political will to use them to actually channel effort towards addressing these issues.Tobi; So I mean, your jobs might be hard, because sometimes the numbers that you deal with, and analyse, are actual human lives. And I know we've been analytical and impersonal so far. These are serious issues with real lives at stake.People are dying, 1000s, every month now, in Nigeria. So on that sombre note, I think we can close the podcast with this last lighthearted question. What's the one idea - it's a bit of a tradition on the show.... what's the one idea that inspires you, that you would like to see spread? That you'd like to see people everywhere believe, adopt, or just be fascinated by? And it could be anything. So what keeps you guys going...what keeps you guys slogging through this?James; Caffeine keeps me going. [laughs]It can be hard to be optimistic sometimes. But I think seeing... I don't know, maybe it's a bit banal, but seeing the energy that many of my Nigerian colleagues have for actually trying to address this issue, I think that helps me avoid fatalism, maybe. I think even Dr. Rufai, you know, we're sharing accommodation here in Unilag, he was up several hours later than I was last night and he was up before me. And so I think sometimes if I get fatalistic or tired, I remember that there are a lot of good people (not just Dr. Rufai that, you know, I got the benefit of working with a number of colleagues in Abuja, Kaduna, people up in Gusau) who genuinely believe that there are solutions to this that they need to be pushing for. For them, the stakes are much higher than they are for me, I have to be honest about that, you know. And so I think that seeing the enthusiasm, the energy, that people bring to this…it acts as a check on my kind of instinct towards pessimism and fatalism. Yeah, I think that's important.Dr. Rufai; I think for me, all I want to see is peace. Harmony. Inter-community relations and inter-community collaboration that actually used to happen in the past. Where we have a free rural world. People operate freely, relate freely, and that love for one another is there.But the unfortunate story is that today, no trust, no freedom, in fact, nothing works actually in the rural areas. And you interact with the rural communities (more), especially in Zamfara, where I know and where I conducted a larger part of my research. Some of these people will tell you [that] they don't need anything from the state government. All they want at the moment is nothing other than peace. A peace that will actually give them an opportunity to continue with their social, economic, and political way of life. They have their own definition of comfort. If it actually rains, cat and dog every year, they consider themselves as the most prosperous people.Because it is from that rain, the grains they produce, [the] different types of crops they harvest, for instance, that they run their daily and yearly life. An ordinary farmer in Zamfara, in Katsina, in some parts of Sokoto is not in any way poor (going by our own definition of poverty, poverty line, and also someone to be poor). Why, because they have their own way, local and the rural way of life... they harvest, they rear their animals, and you see them every year, paying money, millions to go on pilgrimage, Hajj, without intervention from the state, without a penny from anybody. And of course, from the foodstuff, they sustain their life. And they will tell you, if at all there is anything they need from the state, it is the infrastructure and facilities, particularly the roads. Access roads, where they will access the markets, no more, no less. They don't need electricity, for instance, they will tell you that 'take away your education,' they don't bother about that as long as they have operational Islamiyya schools, for instance. They will tell you that 'take away even your justice system,' as long as their traditional village heads are strong, alive, and active to [sic] their responsibilities. They believe in them, and they are capable of providing them with absolute justice. So all this beauty in the rural areas are [sic], today, no more. And what do we see in the rural areas today? A high level, an increasing number of internally displaced persons. People that were millionaires, I mean, millionaires in the actual sense of the war, before banditry, today, are beggars.Today, lives from hand to mouth. They have become so much degraded, wallowing in absolute and abject poverty as a result of these rural conflicts. And what do we see in the rural areas today, we see a large army of internally displaced persons, as I said, child prostitution, and we've seen marriage and the respected women that lost their beloved ones, their husbands, their relatives, their breadwinners, turning into prostitutes, just for them to survive. And the unfortunate story is that nobody cares, nobody reports and nobody tends to know that some of these things are happening. You will understand this better if you go to some of these rural areas.They are poor, not because they are naturally been poor, but because they were denied access to their farmlands by the bandits. And their own definition of life is land. Life begins and ends with land. If they have access to land, I mean farmland, for instance, they have access to a decent living and also to a life that could be compared with any other life in the urban centers. They don't need your water supply. They don't need your electricity. They don't need anything that one could think of within the context of a comfortable life in the urban center. Their rural setting, they are comfortable with it, because you'll see some of them spending five, six years without coming to the state capital. You ask them 'you've never been to Gusau,' for instance, which is your State Capital, he will tell you 'what will I do in Gusau? If at all, you see me in Gusau or any of the urban centers, probably I'm going to the airport, flying out to Mecca.'And look at it, these people will also tell you that the best people you can easily manage, govern and administer with ease are Nigerians and also the rural dwellers. You live a comfortable life, you steal their money, you engage yourself in corruption; they never bother. All they want is peace. If you give them peace, continue with your life. Because their belief is that in the Hereafter you will account for your deed. And that is where the problem lies. So in my opinion, I want to see life going back to normal, the way it used to be in the past - a prosperous and happy, rural areas. Thank you very much.Tobi; Thank you very much, Dr. RUfai. Thank you, James. It's really fantastic talking to both of you. And hopefully, when next we speak about this, things would have improved, hopefully. Thank you both so much. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ideasuntrapped.com/subscribe

Sadie's longtime friend Kaylea Coates stops by to laugh, encourage, tell embarrassing childhood stories, and reveal new details about LO Worship and the LO Sister Conference coming up on August 19 and 20! They talk about how to live beyond the bounds of fear, the ways God uses unlikely people in the most unlikely places, and what we can do as we wait on the Lord's calling. Friends, trust in God to write your story, and use what's in your hands to fulfill what's in your heart. https://www.diggs.pet/whoa — Get 15% off sitewide & make home comfortable for your pet! https://drinkolipop.com/whoa — Get 20% OFF plus free shipping on your order with code WHOA! https://www.publicgoods.com/whoa — Get $15 off your first order with code WHOA! https://www.losisterconference.com - Get $20 off tickets when using the code SISTER20 - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Michelle Garcia, journalist, essayist, Soros Equality Fellow and Dobie Paisano writer-in-residence, and Monica Muñoz Martinez, associate professor of history at the University of Texas-Austin, talk about the border security apparatus at Uvalde, and the history of violence and discrimination at the South Texas and Mexican border.

Are you a worse tipper now than you were before the pandemic? And are we insecure about our job performance?

Next Level Church is a loving, relevant, and life-giving church that meets in many locations across the east coast and led by Pastor Joshua Gagnon. For more information, visit nextlevel.church.

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  Let's just say you didn't grow up wanting to become a spy. You just wanted out of the family car business. You're armed with an Ivy League education in your back pocket. You have a more noble profession in mind. I don't know... maybe... to be an actor. But... to support yourself... you need a survival job. Before you now it, while your acting peers are waiting tables, you begin your apprenticeship as a corporate spy. Dear listeners... everything you about to hear is entirely true... At least as far as we know... I mean... this is the security industry... And we are talking about a working professional actor But I digress...   pm73media and Matt Stephenson are excited to welcome Robert Herbek to the show. Robert has worn many hats over a long career... most of them in various characters as a CORPORATE SPY! Yes, that is a thing. After a career as a working actor on many network shows you have probably seen, he went full time into the world of social engineering. His new book RUSE: Lying the American Dream from Hollywood to Wall Street details stories that are just too good to not be true.  Dig it...   RUSE: Lying the American Dream from Hollywood to Wall Street RUSE: Lying the American Dream from Hollywood to Wall Street is the story of a young man who dreams of stardom but can't quite shake everything he's learned growing up in the family car business. RUSE lives in a unique intersection of Hollywood and Wall Street as Robert tries to straddle both worlds: interacting with entertainment legends as a burgeoning actor while making ends meet as corporate spy, coaxing people inside big Wall Street firms to reveal information and secrets that could bring down companies worth billions of dollars—and bring him into the crosshairs of the authorities.   About Robert Kerbek Robert Kerbeck is the author of RUSE: Lying the American Dream from Hollywood to Wall Street, a thrilling look into the world of corporate espionage and his career as a secret spy. Robert's essays and short stories have been featured in numerous magazines and literary journals. One story was adapted into the award-winning film, Reconnected. He fought one of the worst fires in California history, the 2018 Woolsey Fire, to save his home. His debut book, Malibu Burning: The Real Story Behind LA's Most Devastating Wildfire, won the 2020 IPPY Award as the Silver Medalist in Creative Nonfiction, the Readers' Favorite Award as the Silver Medalist in Nonfiction Drama, and the Best of LA award. A lifetime member of The Actors Studio, Robert has worked extensively in theater, film, and television, appearing in lead roles in major shows and earning several awards. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he resides in Malibu.   About Matt Stephenson My name is Matt Stephenson (@packmatt73) and I have hosted podcasts, videos and live events all over the world which put me with experts on every corner of the cybersecurity landscape. pm73media is my first solo endeavor. On this platform and others to come, I will continue to expand upon the tradition we started with the Insecurity podcast as I seek out the leading minds in the tech industry and beyond. I am always looking for fun people who may break things every now and again. In 20 years in the ecosystem of Data Protection and Cybersecurity I have toured the world extolling the virtues of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and how, when applied to information security, these technologies can wrong-foot the bad guys. Whether in person, live virtual events or podcasting, I get to interview interesting people doing interesting things all over the world of technology and the extended world of hacking. Sometimes, that means hacking elections or the coffee supply chain... other times that means social manipulation or the sovereign wealth fund of a national economy. Wherever I go, my job is all about talking with the people who build, manage or wreck the systems that we have put in place to make the world go round...   If you tuned in to any of my previous podcasts, there's great news…! pm73media is here! I will be bringing the same kind of energy and array of guests you know and love. Best part? We're still at the same spot. You can find it at Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music & Audible as well as GooglePlay, Gaana, Himalaya, I Heart Radio and wherever you get your podcasts!   Make sure you Subscribe, Rate and Review!  

Is all the reading and researching you're doing a form of procrastination or stimulating your thinking? As Diane Von Furstenberg writes in her book Own It: The Secret To Life, “Insecurity is a waste of time but can be used as a source of growth.”   Show notes: Visit SincerelyTam.com/Notes

We were asked by one of our sisters to talk about insecurity and the struggles (and blessings) that come with it. Join us as we feel insecure even about the topic! Lay Aside the Weight of Insecurity- Jon Bloom

Why do we have moments of insecurity and why do we have moments of security? In this presentation, learn how the insecurities you have in life are feedback mechanisms to guide you back to what's really authentic. Dr Demartini shares the wise steps to take to transform insecurities into inspired certainties. USEFUL LINKS: Free Masterclass | Balancing Emotions: https://demartini.fm/emotions (demartini.fm/emotions) Learn More About The Demartini Method: demartini.fm/demartinimethod Learn More About The Breakthrough Experience: demartini.fm/experience Determine Your Values: demartini.fm/knowyourvalues Claim Your Free Gift: demartini.fm/astro Join our Facebook community: demartini.ink/inspired

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Boys' love dramas, while hugely popular in Asia, have mostly found an audience in heterosexual females. Sean Foo, the founder of leading LGBT+ publication Dear Straight People, wanted to break from that mold. This week, he chats with us about creating, producing and starring in the new web series Getaway, and why it's no ordinary boys' love drama. Tune in![Embed Spotify player for this episode]Other stories include:Should you put potatoes in your adobo? The internet weighs in | Miyabi (AKA Maria Ozawa) apologizes to Indonesian fans for canceling her visit, says she misses Bali in particular | Kitchen of Jumbo Floating Restaurant sinks after announcement about exit from Hong Kong | A cat's tale: Indonesia's feline celebrity Pororo comes home after going missing | Monkeypox! Thailand quarantines 12 on flight with infected passenger | Dee Kosh pleads guilty to offering boys money for sex acts | Insecurity spreads as crime ravages YangonThe Coconuts Podcast delivers impactful, weird, and wonderful reporting by our journalists on the ground in eight cities: Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Yangon, and Bali. Listen to headline news and insightful interviews on matters large and small, designed for people located in – or curious about – Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.The Coconuts Podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe today!

Oh my!  Financial insecurity.  It's one of those fears that can make you drink and can derail any period of recovery.  One of the AA Promises says:"Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us."Does that mean if financial insecurity pops up again, you've been doing the program incorrectly?Matt J has some financial issues lately.  Along with a lot going on at work and in his home life, the financial concerns of a home project have become overwhelming.  Instead of suffering in silence, he used this podcast as a way to help others.  Steve C joined the show and gave his perspective and advice including, "why not go to a few more meetings?"Have you had fear of money?  Did this go away the longer you recovered?  Are you new and this is at the forefront of your concerns?  If you are in a 12 step program, where did the 4th, 5th, 8th and 9th steps come into play?This is great episode that whatever your length of clean time, we know you can relate and find value!Want to help our show?  Subscribe, review, rate and share.  Help us get the show into the ears of those who could use it the most.We wanted to alert you that you may hear some ads inserted into the show. We've carefully selected each ad to be sure it's recovery appropriate. We are not looking to make a profit, only looking to get enough help to make this expense neutral. We'd love your feedback. You can email at matt@soberfriendspod.comSupport the show