In a region increasingly consumed by insecurity, poverty, and disillusionment, the crisis in Northwestern Nigeria has exposed more than institutional weaknesses. It has revealed a failure of thought. While guns and policies have been deployed to manage banditry, communal violence, and economic decay, the deeper issue lies in how we think as individuals, as leaders, and as a society.
The world development
report (Worldbank, 2015) suggests three principles of human decision making
which conforms to a very useful social science framework providing three
cognitive lenses: automatic thinking, social thinking, and thinking
in new mental boxes. These modes of thinking, if understood and applied, can
transform how we approach the complex challenges facing the region. These are
explained below with suggestions of how they can be applied to tackle these
challenges.
1. Automatic
Thinking
Automatic thinking,
also known as System 1 thinking (Kahneman, 2011), is fast, instinctive,
and rooted in emotion. It leads to the trap of Cognitive Shortcuts. While
it helps us navigate daily life, it also fuels stereotypes, hasty judgments,
and reactionary behaviours. In the Northwest Nigeria, especially along the highways
and rural areas, where violence and fear have become common, many individuals
operate on this mental autopilot. It can manifest through labelling others
based on some demography and perpetuating deep mistrust. There is also System 2
thinking also known as deliberative thinking which is is
a slower, more deliberative, and logical.
The System 1 mode of
thinking is especially dangerous for leadership. System 2 mode, if fed with the
wrong information, could as well have some consequence. In times of crisis,
policymakers have persistently adopted hasty measures that are unsustainable
and devoid of context. Automatic thinking often seems to push leaders to treat
symptoms instead of diagnosing the root causes - such as poverty; disputes;
long standing conflicts, or unemployment - while the disease spreads. Worse, it
fosters a culture of blame, where problems are always someone else’s fault, and
solutions are simplistic, punitive and resource consuming.
2. Social Thinking
Social thinking which fuels our capacity to interpret others’ intentions, emotions, and social realities, is critical in rebuilding fractured societies. This form of cognition invites leaders and citizens alike to consider context, history, and shared humanity. Social psychologists refer to this as theory of mind - the ability to see through someone else’s eyes. It reflects empathy.
Social thinking means asking hard questions such as:
- Why are
young men joining armed groups?
- Why do
some communities shield criminals?
- Why do
government interventions fail?
- Why is
there lost respect for the elders?
It means listening to
communities rather than prescribing top-down solutions. It means recognizing
that insecurity thrives not just on violence, but on marginalization,
unemployment, broken education systems, and weakened traditional institutions
(which were the peak of authority in the past).
Leaders who think
socially engage communities, respect traditional authorities, and design
inclusive programs that address the needs of the most vulnerable. They see
citizens not as threats or tools for political gain, but as co-creators of
peace and progress.
3. Thinking in New
Mental Boxes
This is the most
transformative mode of thought is what the scholars call reframing (the
ability to create new mental categories, challenge old assumptions, and
innovate). Zygmunt Bauman, a Polish-British sociologist, writes in his book liquid
modernity:
“What is wrong with the society we live in, said Cornelius Castoriadis, is
that it stopped questioning itself. This is a kind of society which no longer
recognizes any alternative to itself and thereby feels absolved from the duty
to examine, demonstrate, justify (let alone prove) the validity of its
outspoken and tacit assumptions.”
For Northern Nigeria,
this means refusing to see the region only through the lens of victimhood or
political utility. It means recognizing the North not just as a voting bloc but
as a living, breathing society with its own internal fractures, potential, and
responsibilities.
Leaders must move
beyond the political refrain of “our numbers can win elections,” and instead,
ask the questions:
- What are we doing with these numbers?
- Are we empowering the majority or merely using them for political leverage?
- Are we implementing interventions in our context?
- Can we define our templates for development?
Poverty, insecurity,
deforestation, the crisis of out-of-school children, street begging, poor water
and sanitation, and food insecurity remain persistent challenges that require
unity of thought and action and not divisive rhetoric. Northern elders,
governors, traditional rulers, religious leaders, intellectuals, the wealthy,
merchants and professionals must put aside ego and factionalism to build a
collective agenda that prioritizes people, not power. The North cannot develop
by threatening other regions or egoistically proving its worth, it can only
rise by healing itself.
Transforming the
Media from Bias to Bridge-Building
Media, as a powerful
shaper of thought and public opinion, bears a special and huge responsibility.
Too often, many media houses recycle stereotypes, inflame tensions, and serve
political interests. Headlines demonize ethnic and religious groups, and
reporting on violence often lacks depth or nuance.
To support peace and
transformation, the media must abandon biased narratives and invest in investigative
journalism that uncovers root causes, exposes systemic failures, and highlights
stories of resilience and cooperation. Reporting should adopt tones that prioritize
peacebuilding, community healing, and fact-based dialogue rather than
sensationalism.
Media practitioners
must see themselves not just as storytellers but as nation and community builders,
with a duty to challenge hatred, uplift truth, and amplify voices that offer
hope and solutions.
A Call for
Cognitive and Collective Responsibility
The crisis in the
Northwest is not insurmountable. However, it will not be solved by the same old
thinking. Albert Eisten emphasises the need for creativity thinking and
adopting new perspectives in solving problem, in his words - “We cannot solve
our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” We must also
reflect the statement of the late Gen. Sani Abacha where he said - “Nigeria is
the only country we have. And we must therefore, solve our problem ourselves”.
There is only one Northwest in Nigeria.
Leaders must therefore:
- Shift from automatic to deliberative
thinking, resisting scapegoating and embracing deliberate evidence-based
policymaking relying on accurate data.
- Develop social thinking, which humanizes crisis
and fosters trust across communities.
- Embrace new mental models by discarding
outdated political strategies and embracing innovation, inclusion, and
long-term planning.
Likewise, the media
must become a tool for transformation, and the region’s elders must become a
moral compass that guides with wisdom, not political bravado.
In the end, thinking
differently is not a luxury, it is a necessity. For the Northwest to rise, it
must first rewire how it thinks.
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