THE NIGERIAN ENVIRONMENT, “UNGOVERNED SPACES,” AND NATIONAL SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS: 1999 – 2022

Abstract

Nigerian environment like every other nation-state is multifaceted –amongst it are business, socio-politics and geographical locations. The latter covers areas identified as ungoverned spaces which affect its national security. Going by the National Security Strategy in 2019, Nigeria recognizes ungoverned spaces as areas around the nation’s external boundaries, border communities and forest which provide a fertile ground for criminal activities. The height of these crimes is the acts of terrorism by Boko Haram which were at their peak in 2014, though, has been “technically defeated”. An existential threat that has almost brought Nigeria’s national security to its knees. (Ukwuoma, Oke and Nimfel, 2020); argue that the federal government has restrained its state control from reaching these spaces; an action proffering haven for extreme criminals. However, non-physical spaces such as the internet and global finance which are not in the total ambit of the Nigerian state could pose a danger to its national security, (Clunan, 2008). Adopting an array of relevant secondary data, the securitization theory explains the government’s failure to secure these places which the criminal elements took advantage of to hatch their dangerous plans against national security. The researcher recommends that it is high time the federal government refrained from its lackadaisical attitude to national security towards securing these hot spots once and for all. Hence, deploy and harness the energies of the many domestic security agencies through their complementary services towards securing these places.