Security challenges in nigeria and the implications for business activities and sustainable development

Project Abstract

<p> </p><p>The paper examined the insecurity situation in Nigeria and its implications for business investment, operations</p><p>and sustainable development. The evaluation of the level and dimension of insecurity which was based on</p><p>secondary data and observations among authors in different places, zones and walks of life as expressed in their</p><p>comments, as well as, on concrete evidences of insecurity incidence in different parts of Nigeria, indicated that</p><p>the insecurity challenge in the country is enormous and complex and would continue to be, if the situation</p><p>remains unabated. We therefore emphasized the need to evolve a safe business environment that allows for</p><p>effective business activities and a sustainable development process. The security management models</p><p>recommended to achieve this, are aimed at combating the creators and perpetuators of situations of insecurity,</p><p>and simultaneously addressing and removing the sources of dissatisfaction and discontentment which spur</p><p>security breaches and the involvement of all stakeholders both in public and private capacity-government,</p><p>business organizations, civil society, religious groups, communities and individuals- to supply resources,</p><p>expertise and information that are required to ensure a safe environment.</p><p>Keywords Business environment, Security, Stakeholders, Sustainable development, Nigeria</p> <br><p></p>

Project Overview

<p> </p><p>. Introduction</p><p>Nigeria in recent times has witnessed an unprecedented level of insecurity. This has made national security threat</p><p>to be a major issue for the government and has prompted huge allocation of the national budget to security. In</p><p>order to ameliorate the incidence of crime, the federal government has embarked on criminalization of terrorism</p><p>by passing the Anti-Terrorism Act in 2011, installation of Computer-based Closed Circuit Television cameras</p><p>(CCTV) in some parts of the country, enhancement of surveillance as well as investigation of criminal related</p><p>offences, heightening of physical security measures around the country aimed at deterring or disrupting potential</p><p>attacks, strengthening of security agencies through the provision of security facilities and the development and</p><p>broadcast of security tips in mass media (Azazi, 2011). Despite these efforts, the level of insecurity in the</p><p>country is still high. In addition, Nigeria has consistently ranked low in the Global Peace Index (GPI, 2012),</p><p>signifying a worsened state of insecurity in the country. Hence, Adagba, et al (2012), Uhunmwuangho and</p><p>Aluforo (2011) are of the view that the efforts of government have not yielded enough positive result.</p><p>With the lingering security challenges and the inability of the security apparatus of the government to</p><p>guarantee safety and security in the country, the question that borders everyone in Nigeria today is that “can there</p><p>be security?” Is security of lives and properties achievable? Apparently, the security situation in Nigeria appears</p><p>or at least have remained insurmountable and many people have argued that government at all levels has not</p><p>done enough by not confronting the situation head on and dealing with it decisively, others have argued that the</p><p>situation has a political undertone or inclination calculated to serve the interest of certain political gods, who</p><p>have been dissatisfied and disgruntled about the political manifestations in the country.</p><p>Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to provide a synthesis of existing knowledge on insecurity</p><p>by integrating diverse explorations and to propose a strategy for security management. In the following sections,</p><p>we examine first, the concept of insecurity, the causes of insecurity in the country so as to provide a background</p><p>for understanding and appreciating the enormity of the problem and our proposed model for security</p><p>management in Nigeria. This is followed by an exploration of the connection between security environment and</p><p>business activities and an evaluation of the Nigerian security situation and its implications for business and</p><p>sustainable development. Finally, in consonance with the call on everyone by government, to contribute to the</p><p>war against insecurity, the paper proposes a security management model that could assist in managing security</p><p>challenges in the country</p> <br><p></p>