Security Challenges in Nigeria. The Imperativeness of Good Governance and the Role of Civil Society

Academic Paper from the year 2019 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict Studies, Security, grade: 60, Obafemi Awolowo University, language: English, abstract: This paper, drawing on academic and policy literature, as well as security and civil society reports attempts to interrogate the contributions of civil society in Nigeria to eliminating violent extremism and insecurity in the polity. Tracing the contributions of civil society in Nigeria on peace and security overtime, the paper also considers what incentives the national government can provide to encourage these strategic moves and how the civil society can work with national and international institutions to support the war against terror and insecurity of all kinds in the country.

Nigeria undoubtedly is one of the hotbeds of conflict in Africa today. Apart from the intractable Boko-Haram insurgency which has claimed thousands of lives and condemned several others to Internal Displaced Person Camps scattered throughout the country; the Southern Kaduna conflict; violent clashes between the Fulani Herdsmen and Farmers all over the country, renewed surge in kidnapping in major cities and villages, agitations in the Niger Delta as well as calls for succession in the former Biafra Republic, among others, all deserve urgent intervention, a multifaceted approach from stakeholders. One fundamental cause of this dilemma is the absence of good governance in the polity. Recent studies however have shown that the interventions by Civil Society in peace and security areas have been largely dominated by foreign foundations and the civil society is still shy of participating actively in stemming this ugly trend for various reasons.