The Empire’s Old Script: How Foreign Powers Manufacture Chaos To Control Africa’s Future
By TIMOTHY HAGGERTY-NWOKOLO
IN international politics, nothing ever “just happens.” Every conflict, coup, and crisis often fits into a well-worn pattern — one that begins with a problem, escalates into chaos, and ends with a “solution” that benefits everyone except the people on the ground.
Across Africa, that script appears to be replaying itself once again: a cycle of engineered instability, foreign manipulation, and economic plunder — all wrapped in the familiar language of “humanitarian intervention.”
The Hidden Playbook: Problem → Reaction → Solution
Analysts and observers of Africa’s political history have long accused major world powers of perfecting a cynical formula for control. The pattern is simple: create a problem, provoke a reaction, and then offer a pre-planned solution — one that serves the interests of outsiders rather than citizens.
In the early 2010s, Nigeria stood at a promising crossroads. Its economy was growing at over 7% annually — one of the fastest in the world. The country was emerging as an economic powerhouse with vast reserves of oil, gas, and minerals. Yet, within a few short years, that progress began to unravel.
Insiders point to the strategic weakening of governance through regime change and subtle external pressures. What followed was a storm of insecurity, economic decline, and social fragmentation — the “perfect conditions” for intervention.
Engineering Instability: The Problem Phase
To understand how this strategy works, one must look at how progressive or independent African governments often find themselves isolated. When their policies threaten entrenched global interests — by nationalizing resources or limiting foreign access — pressure mounts.
Nigeria’s experience reflects this trend. In the years following a change in government, security challenges exploded. The sudden rise of Boko Haram coincided with international arms embargoes and diplomatic restrictions. Nigeria was blocked from buying essential military equipment under the guise of “human rights concerns,” leaving it to source weapons from gray markets — a move that further delegitimized its efforts and strained alliances.
Meanwhile, Western nations refused to designate Boko Haram a foreign terrorist organization for years, despite mounting atrocities. The result was a well-funded insurgency that destabilized entire regions, displaced millions, and crippled economic activity in the northeast.
“By the time global sympathy arrived, the damage was done,” says one retired intelligence officer. “Nigeria had become dependent — not just on aid, but on approval.”
The Reaction: Desperation and Decline
The human cost of this engineered crisis was staggering. In a decade, hundreds of thousands were killed, and millions displaced. The economy lost nearly 70% of its pre-crisis GDP. Those who could, fled — forming a new diaspora of economic refugees across Europe and North America.
For those left behind, survival became an act of desperation. From Ponzi schemes and cybercrime to spiritual escapism and migration through the Sahara, Nigeria’s youth — once its greatest asset — became collateral in a broader geopolitical struggle.
As despair deepened, public trust in governance eroded. The state grew weaker, foreign debt ballooned, and the country became more vulnerable to external influence — exactly the kind of environment that paves the way for “international rescue missions.”
The Solution: Intervention by Invitation
Then comes the final act — the solution. Once a nation is sufficiently weakened, narratives begin to emerge about “stabilization,” “peacekeeping,” and “regional security cooperation.”
These interventions, often couched in humanitarian language, lead to new forms of dependency — military bases, advisory missions, and financial oversight that effectively transfer sovereignty to foreign actors.
“It’s not conquest by invasion,” notes Dr. Chika Okorie, a political economist. “It’s conquest by consent — achieved through exhaustion.”
In this context, Nigeria’s ongoing internal struggles mirror a broader continental story: the gradual erosion of autonomy under the pressure of global interests masked as assistance.
A Nation at a Crossroads
The lesson is clear but uncomfortable — no one will save Nigeria but Nigerians. The idea that external powers will fix the problems they helped create is a dangerous illusion.
As one Lagos-based analyst bluntly puts it, “Africa’s tragedy is not that others exploit her, but that she keeps expecting those same hands to lift her up.”
Today, with over 2 million Nigerians emigrating between 2019 and 2023, and the economy still struggling under inflation and insecurity, the question is not whether foreign actors are involved — but whether Nigerians can reclaim control of their narrative before it’s rewritten again.
The Mirror Test
No empire helps without a price. History — from the transatlantic slave trade to modern-day “development aid” — shows that Africa’s resources, not her people, remain the world’s priority.
The harsh truth is this: every migration wave, every coup, and every “intervention” stems from the same underlying principle — power seeks to preserve itself, even at the expense of others.
For Nigeria, the path forward lies in resilience, self-reliance, and reform that puts citizens before creditors, and people before politics.
Because in the end, no foreign saviour is coming. The only person with the power to save Nigeria looks back from the mirror.
