By: Manoah Kikekon
 |
| Professor Abolade Adeniji and Professor Olateju representing the vice chancellor of LASU and Prof. Adewinmi Falode. |
The Lagos State University (LASU) Centre for Peace and Security Studies hosted a thought-provoking symposium on the Israeli-Iran War of 2025, dissecting its geopolitical implications and military dynamics.
Held at the Ojo main campus, the event brought together scholars and security experts to analyze why Iran found itself isolated in the conflict and the strategic failures that shaped the war’s outcome.
Prof. Abolaji Adeniji, former Dean of LASU’s Faculty of Arts, delivered a hard-hitting keynote, questioning Iran’s lack of allies despite its regional influence. "Why does Iran not have a friend? In the 21st century, you need at least three to five nations backing you in war," he stated.
Despite alliances with Russia and China, Iran received no tangible support when the U.S. and Israel struck. Prof. Adeniji argued that Iran’s Shiite minority status (only 10-12% of Muslims globally) and its funding of militant groups like Hezbollah alienated Sunni-majority nations like Saudi Arabia, who secretly "cheered Israel’s strikes."
Prof. Adewinmi Falode, Director of the Centre for Peace and Security Studies, highlighted tactical blunders in the conflict. Unlike Russia’s troop-heavy invasion of Ukraine, Israel and Iran waged a "contactless war" using drones, cyberattacks, and precision bombs like the $500 million GBU-57 bunker busters that destroyed Iran’s nuclear sites without ground troops.
"Air strikes alone don’t win wars," Falode warned, citing Nigeria’s struggle with Boko Haram due to poor joint military operations. He stressed that without infantry mop-up missions, enemies simply "return like bedbugs."
A chilling revelation emerged: Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons isn’t about use but untouchability. Prof. Adeniji compared it to North Korea’s deterrent strategy, where even one nuclear missile ensures survival.
However, Iran lacks intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), relying on North Korea for technology exchange. "Once Iran gets nukes, Israel and Saudi Arabia are in trouble," he warned, explaining the Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) theory that keeps superpowers in check.
Prof. Falode urged Nigeria’s military to adopt integrated warfare tactics, combining air strikes with ground forces and local surveillance.
"Bombing Zamfara without troops on the ground lets terrorists regroup," he said, advocating for civil defense units to hold liberated areas. The symposium concluded with a stark reminder: no nation can fight alone a lesson Iran learned the hard way.
Though a ceasefire was declared, experts cautioned that hostilities could reignite. "World War I’s shooting stopped in 1918, but peace came in 1980," Prof. Falode noted wryly.
With diplomatic tensions still high, the world watches as Israel and Iran navigate an uneasy truce proving that in modern warfare, alliances and strategy matter more than firepower.