Literature Is Nigeria’s Untapped National Security Asset, Says Prof. Mahfouz Adedimeji

Vice-Chancellor of the African School of Economics, Prof. Mahfouz A. Adedimeji, has described literature as an untapped national security asset capable of helping Nigeria address the social and ideological dimensions of insecurity.

Adedimeji stated this on Friday, October 30, 2026, while delivering the keynote address at the 45th International Convention and Conference of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), held at the Mamman Vatsa Writers’ Village, Abuja.

Speaking on the theme, “Literature, National Security and the Place of Nigeria in the World,” the professor said literature should be recognised as more than an instrument of entertainment or academic study, stressing its importance to national consciousness, social stability, peacebuilding and Nigeria’s international influence.

He said national security could not be reduced to the protection of territorial borders or the deployment of military force, arguing that insecurity was also shaped by narratives surrounding identity, injustice, religion, history, power and belonging.

“National security is simultaneously material and imaginative,” Adedimeji said, noting that Nigeria requires capable armed forces, effective police institutions, intelligence networks, secure borders and cybersecurity infrastructure, but must also address the social conditions that enable insecurity to reproduce itself.

According to him, Nigeria’s security environment, characterised by terrorism, violent extremism, banditry, kidnapping, communal conflicts, organised crime and displacement, requires approaches that go beyond force.

He noted that literature could help identify alienation, humiliation, injustice, exclusion and institutional distrust that often precede organised violence.

Adedimeji argued that writers frequently explore these conditions before they become visible as conventional security threats, making literature an important source of insight into the social roots of insecurity.

He cited the works of Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ken Saro-Wiwa and Helon Habila as examples of Nigerian literature that have explored political instability, abuse of power, environmental injustice, marginalisation, militarisation and conflict.

He said Achebe’s A Man of the People, published shortly before Nigeria’s first military coup, offered a portrayal of corruption, political opportunism and institutional decay, while Saro-Wiwa’s works highlighted the relationship between environmental degradation, resource extraction, political marginalisation and security.

The don also identified literature as an important repository of national memory, particularly in relation to the Nigerian Civil War.

He said while military and political histories could document battles, constitutional crises and political developments, literature could preserve the human experiences of conflict and help subsequent generations understand the consequences of war.

He cited Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun as an example of a literary work that transformed the Civil War from a historical abstraction into an experience inhabited by recognisable human beings.

Adedimeji further said literature could contribute to reducing prejudice by allowing readers to encounter experiences outside their own social, religious, ethnic or economic backgrounds.

He noted that understanding the social environments in which radicalisation occurs was necessary for effective prevention, stressing that explanation should not be confused with justification.

On the digital information environment, the professor warned that social media had accelerated the spread of narratives beyond the capacity of traditional institutions to verify them.

He noted that fabricated stories, manipulated images, recycled videos and increasingly convincing artificial intelligence-generated audio, photographs and videos were creating new challenges for national security.

He therefore advocated stronger literary education to develop citizens’ capacity to critically examine information and understand how narratives are constructed and deployed.

“In an age of information warfare, these are no longer merely classroom questions. They are citizenship skills,” he said.

The professor, however, cautioned against turning literature into government propaganda.

He said recognising literature as relevant to national security should not mean subjecting writers to state control, stressing that literature derives much of its value from its ability to interrogate power and expose uncomfortable realities.

According to him, governments should not mistake criticism for disloyalty because writers can sometimes identify emerging crises before they become security emergencies.

“The writer can function as a national alarm system,” he said.

Adedimeji also called for greater investment in narratives capable of engaging young Nigerians, particularly as extremist organisations increasingly use stories of injustice, belonging, sacrifice and redemption to recruit and influence vulnerable youths.

He said literature, theatre, film and storytelling could provide alternative narratives centred on dignity, citizenship, opportunity and peaceful coexistence.

He introduced the concept of “narrative security,” which he described as the ability of a society to maintain inclusive, critically examined and credible narratives about itself without allowing differences in ethnicity, religion, region, language or class to become permanent sources of antagonism.

He stressed that Nigeria did not need a single, uniform national story but a broad national conversation capable of accommodating its multiple experiences and identities.

On Nigeria’s place in the international community, Adedimeji said literature represented an important source of the country’s soft power.

He noted that Nigerian writers, including Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ben Okri and Adichie, had helped shape international understanding of Nigeria and Africa.

According to him, books and literary works can function as instruments of cultural diplomacy by introducing Nigeria’s ideas, experiences and perspectives to international audiences beyond the reach of conventional diplomacy.

He urged Nigeria to develop what he called “narrative sovereignty”—the capacity to participate substantially in the production and international circulation of meanings about the country.

Adedimeji said Nigeria should not attempt to suppress critical stories in pursuit of a favourable national image, but should ensure that the country is represented through a diversity of stories reflecting its challenges, creativity, resilience and possibilities.

He also linked literature and the creative economy to national development, noting that publishing, film, theatre, music, digital storytelling, gaming and other cultural industries could contribute to employment, youth opportunity, international reputation and social belonging.

The professor called for literature and the humanities to be deliberately integrated into national security and peacebuilding policies.

He recommended stronger support for reading, writing, critical thinking and civic consciousness in schools; increased funding for public and school libraries; greater institutional support for Nigerian authors; stronger protection of intellectual property; and the use of literary festivals, debates, drama competitions and cultural exchanges to promote national integration.

He also advocated stronger collaboration between universities and disciplines including literature, security studies, international relations, political science, communication, psychology and development studies to examine how narratives influence radicalisation, conflict, reconciliation and international influence.

Concluding the address, Adedimeji said Nigeria’s security challenge required attention to both physical threats and the deeper crises of trust, citizenship, belonging, justice, memory and identity.

He said literature could help the country understand itself, confront difficult histories and communicate its story to the rest of the world.

“We must secure Nigeria. And we must secure the Nigerian story,” he said, stressing that Nigeria’s global future would depend not only on its population, economy and military capacity but also on its ability to generate compelling ideas, narratives and cultural forms.