Insecurity and terrorism has been a major challenge to the Nigerian government in recent times. The activities of the Islamic sect (Boko Haram) had led to loss of lives and properties in the country especially in the Northern part of Nigeria. Some of these activities include bombing, suicide bomb attacks, sporadic shooting of unarmed and innocent citizens, burning of police stations, churches, kidnapping of school girls and women, etc. Kidnapping, rape, armed robbery and political crises, murder, destruction of oil facilities by Niger Delta militants alongside the attacks carried out by Fulani Herdsmen on some communities in the North and South have been another major insecurity challenge facing the country. Nigeria has been included among one of the terrorist countries of the world. Many lives and properties have been lost and a large number of citizens rendered homeless. Families have lost their loved ones. Many women are now widows. Children become orphans with no hope of the future. This has implications for national development. Government had made frantic efforts to tackle these challenges posed by terrorism and insecurity in the country and put an end to it but the rate of insurgency and insecurity is still alarming. The events surrounding September 11, 2001 and other recent events of terrorism across the globe especially the current wave of terrorism in Nigeria, had focused our minds on issues of terrorism and insecurity. This study therefore, investigated empirically the challenges of insecurity and terrorism on national development in Nigeria. The scope of the study spans from 1990 to 2012. Data used for this study was sourced from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) statistical bulletin, Newspapers and related journal articles on security issues. Using ordinary least square method of analysis, the result showed that terrorism and insecurity impacts negatively on economic development. It has made government to divert resources meant for development purposes to security votes. Expenditure made by government on security matters had significantly and positively impacted on economic development implying that expenditure on security matters has helped to ameliorate the negative effect of terrorism and insecurity despite the fact there is a crowding-in effect of security expenditure on economic development. This finding is in line with other studies on different countries of the world. It is therefore recommended that government should declare war on terrorism and seek assistance/advice from international communities who have in the time past faced this kind on challenge and were able to tackle it. The Nigerian Military should be empowered more with arms to fight this insurgency. Government should beef up security in the eastern and southern parts of the country to curb the menace of insecurity.
Insecurity can be likened to a terminal disease, slowly eating its way into the system of the country. It stifles economic growth, stability and development. It constitutes threat to lives and properties, hinders commercial activities, and discourages local and foreign investors.
Many young promising Nigerians have fled the country for safer climes because, according to them, money cannot save you in Nigeria. Many multinational companies have left the country.
A country where Judges and politicians are being kidnapped and huge ransoms are being paid; a country where the health sector is in a comatose; a country where security officials who are meant to protect citizens, take their lives instead; a country where ethnicity has eaten deep into her bowels. Oh Nigeria! One begins to wonder what the fate of the common man would be if the elites are not safe.
Politicians in Nigeria want to win elections and remain in office at all cost, this has been responsible for electoral and political violence and general insecurity in Nigeria.
In Nigeria, there is the ongoing and persistent cry for equity in resource control and revenue sharing by certain resource-rich groups which have led to violent agitations among the contending actors and between the state and proponents resulting in general insecurity in Nigeria.
There is a general perception of marginalization by a section of Nigerian people in areas of government development policies, political patronage, and these serve as triggers of disaffection, resentment, and revolt.
From ethnic and religious differences, weak security system, terrorism, unemployment to corruption, poor economy, weak border control, uneven distribution of resources, etc…The list could go on and on but we are tired of identifying what these problems are if we are not willing to make conscious efforts towards curbing them.
One of the ways to tackle insecurity is to strengthen our weak security system. This weak security system can be attributed to a number of factors which include corruption, inadequate funding of the police and other security agencies, lack of modern equipment, poor welfare of security personnel, and inadequate personnel.
There is the need for government to be proactive in dealing with security issues and threats, through modern methods of intelligence gathering, and intelligence sharing, training, logistics, motivation, and deploying advanced technology in managing security challenge
Another way is by creating an economy with relevant social, economic and physical infrastructure for business operations and industrial growth which also results in gainful employment.
Corruption is bad not because money and benefits change hands in an unjust manner, and not because of the motives of participants, but because it privatizes valuable aspects of public life, bypassing processes of representation, debate, and choice.
Furthermore, there is the need for the Nigerian government, at all levels, to ensure that poverty is reduced and a realistic social security programme is pursued and implemented to ensure that the populace meet their basic needs.
The Nigerian government has also finally consented to a more open cooperation with its neighbours Cameroon, Niger and Chad in dealing with the sect. In the past four years, since the creation of Boko Haram in 2009, the impression had been that it was a ‘hands-off’ issue that Nigeria was bent on tackling alone. The war in Mali and the increasing internationalisation of radical Islamist groups like Boko Haram have certainly contributed to this cross-border approach. However, although experts say secret services from various countries like Israel and the US are helping Nigeria on the ground, at this stage it seems unthinkable that Nigeria would ask for foreign intervention against a terror threat, as the government of Mali did last year. This would go against everything one knows of Nigeria.
The only solution for the insecurity challenge in Nigeria is for the Nigerian government to govern in a way that fosters development. Development in this context consists of creating an economy with relevant social, economic and physical infrastructure for business operations and industrial growth, to provide gainful employment, functional and useful education, and quality health care for the people. Furthermore, there is a need for governments to ensure that rising poverty indices are reversed to ensure that the Nigerian meet their basic needs. Another way with which we can fight the rising Spate of insecurity used by the government to checkmate its officials I know the current administration is doing well in the fight against corruption but more work needs to be done I feel we need to implement the bottom-top approach rather than the top-bottom approach the current administration is using in fighting corruption we need to scrutinize from the Grass Roots because charity they say begins at home we need to sensitize our citizens especially the young ones on corruption and other vices so that when they grow up and hold government positions they will not have it in them to make away with public funds. Corruption is like cancer that has eaten deep into our system and it can be known to be a ripple effect because it affects every area of the economy with security topping the list during the last administration we heard about the major scam by the former minister defence who connived with some other officials to embezzle the money supposed to be for procurement of arms and ammunition for the security agencies in the fight against insurgency in the Northeast. This and other factors are some things that negatively affect the security framework in Nigeria. Another way with which I think we can solve our current security problem is by increasing the manpower and welfare of all security agencies and equipping them with modern-day combat machinery, skills and training. yes, we currently have a lot of security personnel but according to a statistics report released in 2019, we are still very much under policed as a nation most of them lack the motivation to face the insurgents we have heard of cases whereby the camps of our security forces have been attacked and they lack sufficient and modern-day combat equipment forcing them to either retreat or be outgunned. the government can partner with neighbouring Countries to exchange intelligence and information that would help in quelling the insurgency in the northeast also they can procure state-of-the-art combat helicopters and alpha jets for the Nigerian Air Force this will help in reducing the casualties of the war on our own side and assist the Military in neutralizing most of their hideouts Of these evil ones and hopefully bringing the long dragged war to an end.
From The Able Hand of Leo Ogunmolu Temidayo Erastus (Excel IKA 🌚)
Ogunmoluayo01@gmail.com
08102443375
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