CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Nigeria in the recent years has been experiencing an extraordinary level of insecurity. This has made national security threat to be a crucial issue for the government and has prompted huge allocation of the national budget to security. In an effort to ameliorate the occurrence of crime, the federal government has started criminalization of terrorism by passing the Anti-Terrorism Act in 2011, installation of Computer-based Closed Circuit Television cameras (CCTV) in some crucial parts of the nation, enhancement of surveillance in addition to examination of criminal related offences, heightening of physical security measures about the nation targeted at deterring or disrupting potential attacks, enhancing of security agencies with the provision of security facilities and the development and program of security ideas in mass media (Azazi, 2011). In spite of these initiatives, the level of insecurity in the nation is still high. Additionally, Nigeria has regularly rated low in the Global Peace Index (GPI, 2012), indicating a worsened state of insecurity in the nation. Thus, Adagba, et al (2012), Uhunmwuangho and Aluforo (2011) are of the opinion that the efforts of government have not brought about sufficient positive outcome.
With the lingering security challenges and the failure of the security apparatus of the government to guarantee safety and security in the nation, the concern that borders everybody in Nigeria today is that "can there be security?" Is security of lives and properties attainable? Obviously, the security scenario in Nigeria appears or at a minimum of have continued to be insurmountable and lots of people have suggested that government at all levels has not done enough by not challenging the scenario directly and dealing with it emphatically, others have suggested that the situation has a political undertone or disposition determined to serve the interest of specific political gods, that have been dissatisfied and disgruntled concerning the political manifestations in the nation.
Security challenges can be traced to the very early years of military government when large quantities of arms were imported into the nation for the use of the military during and after the Nigerian civil war, a few of which got into the hand of the private citizens. Right after the civil war these arms were used by private citizens and ex-military men for mischievous objectives such as armed robbery, (Olabanji and Ese 2014). The 1999 constitutions make arrangements for the rights of citizens. The failure of government to provide a safe and secure and risk-free environment for lives, properties and the conduct of business and economic activities has brought about resentment and disaffection amongst business investors. This has led to communal clashes, and religious intolerance and crime in different parts of the nation that has destroyed lives and properties, disrupted businesses and economic activities, and retarded economic growth and advancement in Nigeria. No business financiers whether local or international will be inspired to invest in a risky and insecure environment. In a globalized world investors are not just trying to find high returns on their investments but likewise safe environment for their investments. Therefore, the worrying level of insecurity in Nigeria has made the economic situation unappealing to foreign investors and has slowed down the level of business activities, and this has influenced negatively on economic development and growth. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to examine security challenges in Nigeria and its implications for sustainable development by using Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra state, Nigeria as a case study.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
There is high degree of insecurity in the different regions of the country, especially, in the South East and the North East where Kidnapping and the activities of the unknown gunmen as well as ‘Boko Haram' has become a threat to business activities respectively. No investor will want to invest where his investment is not protected. Lots of businesses and companies in these regions of the country have quit operation because of "Boko Haram" and the unknown gunmen scourge. The cost of life and material resources lost to insecurity in the nation since the past couple of years is unquantifiable. The regular incident of bomb explosions, kidnapping and killing orchestrated by these people has assumed a worrisome dimension. An approximated number of about 20,000 lives have been lost to bomb explosion, kidnapping and killing from 2010 till date. According to security information released by Crime Guard, a security surveillance team, between March and December 2012, there were an overall of 153 successful explosions in the nation which claimed a number of lives and properties and brought about closure of lots of businesses in the nation. As a result, of insecurity in the nation lots of companies and businesses in their numbers are shutting down operations in the northern and the south eastern regions and relocating to other African nations for fear of loss of lives and properties. And the few remaining firms operate skeletal bases. Insecurity in the nation not just impacts foreign direct investment and business activities, it likewise impacts business confidence as lots of businesses lost confidence in establishing businesses in some regions of the nation.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The main objective of this study is to investigate security challenges in Nigeria and its implications for sustainable development by using Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra state, Nigeria as a case study. Therefore, the specific objectives include:
a) To understand the reasons for insecurity in Nigeria
b) To establish the implications of the insecurity situation on the sustainable development in Nigeria.
c) To examine the level of the insecurity environment of businesses in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra state, Nigeria.
1.4 Research Questions
The followings are the research questions for this study:
a) What are the reasons for insecurity in Nigeria?
b) What are the implications of the insecurity situation on the sustainable development in Nigeria?
c) What is the level of the insecurity environment of businesses in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra state, Nigeria?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The following listed statements are the research hypotheses for this study:
a) There is no significant influence on the implications of the insecurity situation on the sustainable development in Nigeria
b) There is a significant effect on the level of the insecurity environment of businesses in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra state, Nigeria
1.6 Significance of the Study
The significance of this study will be of much value to government policy makers as it reveals that; poor salaries and funding by government to security agencies are traceable to ineffective security management and performances of government law enforcement agencies.
The study will help government understands the sources of apparent high crimes in the state and inefficiency in the security management mechanism of the state. This helps the government to meet the operational, administrative needs and readiness of these poorly remunerated security agencies who operate in the state and the nation at large.
The study made an in-dept examination of problems that led to poor performances of the security agencies and the recommendations at the end of this work will benefit the heads of security agencies to initiate reforms aimed at over-hauling the security agencies for better performance and service delivery to the state and nation at large.
The salient academic truths and security models used in testing and analyzing the theoretical frameworks and hypotheses utilized in this study, will highly benefit post-graduate and under-graduate students’ intent on understanding the roots of the current ineffective security system in Nigeria which are traceable to inadequacies and inefficiencies of the law enforcement agencies in our country.
1.7 Scope of the Study
This aspect deals strictly with the boundary of this study, issues covered by the study, the time-frame, subject studied (people) and spatial or geographical area covered. Therefore, Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra state, Nigeria is the scope of this study.
1.8 Definition of Terms
The following terms were used in the process of carrying out this study:
Security: security is the ability of government to harness human, material, technical, financial resources and spiritual interventions for the enhancement of effective protection of lives and property for ensuring a peaceful atmosphere in which individuals can pursue their lawful activities. Security
Security Management: it refers to the ability of government to organize staffing, directing, leading and controlling, effective funding and motivation of security agencies and personnel for the provisions of security for its citizens through the use of instruments and mechanism of state power which are backed-up by enabling laws. It involves strategies, innovations, and planning, initiating solutions, to solve problems through timely decision-making.
Security Challenges: is any act or intention that has the potential of inhibiting the public peace, stability and progress of a state, individuals, nation or community which include major and minor state crimes such as terrorism, subversion, sabotage, espionage, insurgency, assassination and murder, riot, arson, kidnapping, hostage-takings, etc. This is also an act aimed at undermining the security of a nation or its component units.
Government: a politically organized body or group of persons issuing orders to their fellow-citizens in the name of the state.
