Papers by Michael Ugwueze
Journal of Church and State, May 25, 2022
Africa insight, 2019
The last four decades have witnessed a growing literature on the Biafra question in Nigeria. Stil... more The last four decades have witnessed a growing literature on the Biafra question in Nigeria. Still, the trauma of the Nigerian Civil War continues to spill over into contemporary Nigerian politics. No ethnic group feels this trauma more than the Igbo. Although the accounts of the war are well documented, the link between the traumas of the time vis-a-vis the prolonged Biafra secessionism remains underexplored in literature. Building on the theory of trauma as memory retrieval, this article argues that Biafra secessionist agitations persist because the federal government of Nigeria continues to resonate the experiences of the Civil War through some calculated actions. The findings of this article have implications for both the progress of the Igbo people and the stability of the Nigerian state.
Journal of Asian and African Studies
There is still little discussion on how community-based organizations (CBOs) may help counter vio... more There is still little discussion on how community-based organizations (CBOs) may help counter violent extremism (CVE) in Nigeria. This research explores the implications of CBOs’ use of external networks for CVE and the distribution of humanitarian aid in North-East Nigeria. It finds that because CBOs depend so heavily on outside funding, they are constantly exposed to the demands and whims of donors. We therefore urge the government to prioritize CBOs in CVE programmes and operations to reduce external influence and to limit the spread of violent extremism in the region.
Review of African Political Economy, 2021
The rising spate of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, targeting artisanal fishery, is a huge concern ... more The rising spate of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, targeting artisanal fishery, is a huge concern regarding security and economy. Relying to a major extent on qualitative primary data, this briefing...
African Renaissance, 2020
One of the greatest security concerns confronting the global community in recent times is irregul... more One of the greatest security concerns confronting the global community in recent times is irregular migration. Not only does this trigger trans-border crimes such as terrorism, human trafficking, and the resurgence of slavery; it is also the major cause of brain-drain in Africa. The continuing debate within the security literature is whether irregular migration is a natural consequence of climate change, or human contrivance arising from the quest for greener pasture, and/or pressures from poor governance, civil wars, unemployment, and poverty. The currency and potency of climate change, unemployment and security debates increasingly blur the contributions of poor governance to the problem of irregular migration in Africa. In view of this, the study investigates the centrality of poor governance to the problem of irregular migration in Africa. The data for the study were generated from both primary and secondary sources, while constant comparative method (CCM) was applied in the data analysis. As a result of constant comparison, the study found out that poor governance is a major cause of irregular migration among young Africans. The paper therefore recommends improved and youth-inclusive governance in Africa.
It is usually common for countries enmeshed in security problems to devise a military strategy in... more It is usually common for countries enmeshed in security problems to devise a military strategy in arresting them. While this remains a temporary and short-term measure, it does not always offer a long term solution. Against this backdrop, the study attempted a theoretical relationship between and among security, governance and wealth creation and therefore found how governance can bring about long-term solution to security problems through wealth creation. Among others, the work offers the strategies necessary for strengthening governance, reducing corruption and creating wealth in Nigeria and by extension, solving the security challenges both manifest and latent that have continued to engulf the country over the years.
International Affairs and Global Strategy, 2015
Security is one of the cardinal projects necessary for engendering an organized society and every... more Security is one of the cardinal projects necessary for engendering an organized society and everybody is a critical stakeholder. However, it appears that this project has been politicized in Nigeria and the politicization has led to sporadic emergence of injurious ethnic militias who have equally become tools in the hands of the political elite group for achieving what was impossible at the polls. The study used Boko Haram insurgence to problematize the politics of securitization and relying on extracted axioms from the Marxian theory of social production and reproduction, the work discovered that the quest for primitive accumulation arising from the use of state power by the political elite group is responsible for the politicization of security in Nigeria. Among others, the study recommended that as a practical step to reduce securitization, good governance rooted in the will of the governed should be institutionalized. Keywords: security, securitization, politics, Boko Haram.
Journal of Transportation Security, 2021
There are several crimes considered minor but which usually result in other serious crimes when l... more There are several crimes considered minor but which usually result in other serious crimes when left unchallenged. This is the nature of the threats against informal maritime transportation system within the South-South region of Nigeria, which has evaded the attention of scholars in literature. Utilizing a mixed-method approach and the broken window theory, this article makes a case for the growing security concern against commercial motorboat operators on account of negligence of piracy against the major stakeholders of the informal maritime transportation system in Nigeria. The implication is that the South-South region has become a hotspot for various heinous crimes made possible because piracy against less privileged groups such as the commercial motorboat operators (considered as minor crime) was left almost unaddressed by the Nigerian state. As Nigeria strives to combat maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), mending its broken windows that permit for heinous crimes ...
Security Journal, 2020
A number of studies have reviewed the military operational tactics vis-à-vis the claims of Boko H... more A number of studies have reviewed the military operational tactics vis-à-vis the claims of Boko Haram defeat. However, there is empirical evidence of soldiers' mutiny, desertion from war fronts and low morale resulting in high success rate of Boko Haram insurgency. Despite the rise in security sector budget from about US$1.44 billion in 2009 to US2.81 billion in 2018, military-led counterinsurgency operation in Nigeria faces some notable challenges. This article, therefore, provides evidence of how military campaigns at the strategic, operational and tactical levels have been undermined by multiple factors, including corruption. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study contends that a thorough overhaul of the military counterinsurgency operations at all levels is necessary for a more effective and accountable force capable of defeating Boko Haram insurgency.
Review of African Political Economy, 2020
This briefing examines the major developments in Nigeria's automobile industry since 1960. It arg... more This briefing examines the major developments in Nigeria's automobile industry since 1960. It argues that inconsistent implementation of automobile policies reinforces the capacity of non-indigenous automobile manufacturers to dominate the sector, and concludes that consistent auto-policy implementation that promotes the interests of indigenous manufacturers is relevant for increased local production and sustainable job creation in the sector.
Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 2014
The study is an attempt to explain the theoretical underpinnings of military involvement in Third... more The study is an attempt to explain the theoretical underpinnings of military involvement in Third World politics. It raised such pertinent questions as to why military rule occurred more in Less Developed Countries than in developed ones and why is direct military involvement in politics condemned globally even when some appeared to have fared better than the prevailing corrupt civilian administrations. These questions were clarified in a study that is basically qualitative in nature using various theories of military intervention in politics to argue that so long as Third World politicians remain intransigent to their societal problems, military involvement in politics will continue to be a phenomenon to be reckoned with notwithstanding that the involvement of the Armed Forces in political life of the people has not reflected any improvement in governance. The work concludes that it would be difficult for any military rule to perform better than civilian-led administrations being a body taught to fight and kill than to govern.
Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, Sep 8, 2014
The thrust of the survival of any nation is embedded on its security situation. Insecurity is a t... more The thrust of the survival of any nation is embedded on its security situation. Insecurity is a threat to development because it produces economic stagnation. However, the situation is not absolutely, if at all so in Nigeria given the insurgency of Boko Haram and its attendant negative consequences on the economy of the country. The work utilized the theory of Good Governance and National Security in analyzing Boko Haram insurgence and the Nigerian economic development. Deriving from the above, it was discovered that there is a close relationship between and among good governance, national security and economic development through the study of Boko Haram insurgence. The study therefore argued that the only thing that can sustain development and curb insurgencies in Nigeria is good governance, as what we are witnessing presently is the resultant implication of contrapuntal maladministration that had hitherto characterized the Nigerian state.
IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2014
The study was basically a qualitative one designed to underscore the prospects and challenges of ... more The study was basically a qualitative one designed to underscore the prospects and challenges of new states in world politics. It theorized the new states in terms of age and development and came to the conclusion that new states in terms of development face stiffer challenges in the contemporary new world order especially as a result of low level of technological development and prevailing maladministration. The study revealed that globalization in world political order does not serve the interest of developing and underdeveloped countries. It is a modern colonization mechanism to perpetuate underdevelopment of these countries. The work therefore suggested that advanced countries that are technologically developed should assist the new states in reducing the world poverty rate which is a serious global security threat. It also recommended that the political leadership in the new states should work hard to ensure drastic reduction of bad governance and by extension corruption.
Journal of Asian and African Studies
The devastation of lives, livelihood and property in Nigeria caused by over a decade of insurgenc... more The devastation of lives, livelihood and property in Nigeria caused by over a decade of insurgency by the Boko Haram terrorists is a subject of security, policy, humanitarian and academic concern. Several counter-measures have been adopted by both state and non-state actors to combat the insurgency with limited successes recorded. Consequently, studies have examined several efforts taken by the Nigerian government toward ending the Boko Haram insurgency, including the challenges confronting such efforts. However, Nigeria’s de-radicalization, rehabilitation and reintegration programme for ex-Boko Haram fighters, known as Operation Safe Corridor, has received marginal attention in literature. The Operation Safe Corridor programme which was established in September 2015 is aimed at de-radicalizing, rehabilitating and reintegrating repentant Boko Haram insurgents into society. Using a field survey method involving key informant interviews and focus group discussions as well as documenta...
Cogent Social Sciences
Agitations for political restructuring have come from virtually all age groups, socio-ethnic and ... more Agitations for political restructuring have come from virtually all age groups, socio-ethnic and political configurations in Nigeria. However, little or nothing is known about the ethnic and religious differences in the entire agitations especially among the youths. This study examined ethnic and religious differences in the knowledge and support for political restructuring among the youths in Nigeria. Participants were 575 youths (372 males, 180 females, M = 25.62, SD = 5.51) drawn from Nigeria's six geopolitical zones. Data were collected using questionnaires assessing knowledge and support for political restructuring. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the data. Results showed that youths from minority ethnic groups reported higher knowledge and support for political restructuring. For the various religious groups, Muslims have more knowledge and support for political restructuring. Relying on the issue-specific motivator model, the study highlighted the implications of these findings for research and policy.
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Papers by Michael Ugwueze