Education and Nigeria’s National Security

Online Journal by League of Educational Researchers International (LERI), 2022

The fourth republic has witness serious challenges ranging from communal ethnic and religious violence. The situation has witness a dangerous scenario with the emergence of Boko Haram, terrorism, banditry and kidnapping in various geo-political zones of the country. In all the violent and security challenges, youth has been the common fodder in the hands of politicians or religious zealots in tormenting trouble in the country. The idea is premised on the high rate of unemployment among the youth which is a fallout of the faulty educational system that has renders Nigeria youth unemployable in the labour market. The economic predicament of the Nigerian youth has made them ruthless in crimes. The paper asserts that between terrorists, bandits and kidnappers, there is very little difference as one set of activities apparently service the other and has significant impact on education system in the4 country.

EJMSS, 2024

The increasing number of children lacking educational access, who will soon grow to become young adults constitute a serious problem the nation"s security and peacebuilding. The study objectives were to investigates effect of illiteracy on national security, ascertain challenges of humanitarian response, examine youths" prospect for future peacebuilding, and review response measures to address Out-of-School Children and Youth Bulge issue. The research adopted qualitative data approach of secondary method of data analysis of scholarly works in the relevant study areas. Youth Bulge and Nation-Building Theories, were used in explaining education insecurity and youth bulge: its implication on national security and peacebuilding. The study found out that, illiteracy affects citizens" capacity to sieve through conflict entrepreneurs" shenanigans; losing millions of children to illiteracy means losing the battle against vicious cycle that perpetuate national insecurities. The study believed that, allowing millions of children to fall behind the education line, weaken their ability to read meaning to manipulators tendencies and intentions, gives advantage to the state"s enemies in recruiting them easily to fight the government. The government will continually spend billions recruiting security personnel, train them for subsequent deployment for counter-terrorist (banditry/insurgency) operations. Therefore, Government and all partners should review educational intervention programs/policies to eliminate all militating factors; Eliminating all possible exploitation for recruitment as merchants of terror.

UJAH: Unizik Journal of Arts and Humanities, 2021

This paper discusses how Nigeria as a nation can achieve national security through, not just education, but qualitative education. National security has been described in this paper, as freedom from or resilience against potential harm caused by others. For easy comprehension and assimilation, the paper was strategically broken down into six, (6) distinct sections, to wit; conceptualization of key words, causes of insecurity in Nigeria, effects of insecurity in Nigeria, role of education in checkmating insecurity, previous efforts by governments to address insecurity issues and; conclusion and recommendations. The paper was able to establish the fact that quality education can reduce incidences of insecurity, even if not totally eradicated. Education, this paper revealed is a major weapon of progressive social change. The paper concludes that sound education anchored on good educational policies and implementation can reduce, to a manageable extent, insecurity in Nigeria. Therefore ...

The paper is a critique of Nigeria's educational system as a panacea for curbing the rising spate of insecurity in the country. It observed that the country's present educational system does not accommodate all classes of people in the society. It argued that the wave of insecurity in the country is primarily functions of prevalence poverty, rising rate of unemployment, etc occasioned by a skewed dysfunctional educational system that restricts access to acquisition of requisite functional knowledge and skills for human security through demand-driven education. The study was descriptive in approach and data were gathered from secondary sources through content analysis of relevant documents. It advocated for restructuring the country's educational system to meet immediate and long term needs of all, especially those on the streets without formal entry qualifications, who are most vulnerable and readily available as instruments for violence, insurgency and terrorism against the state. Therefore, institutionalizing National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ), mainstreaming functional synergy amongst the Federal Ministry of Education, National Board for Technical Education, manufacturing sector, etc, in redesigning educational curricular, amongst other measures, will drastically stem tides of insecurity in the country.

African Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research, 2020

The paper examines the impact of poverty on Nigerian youths and security dilemma, having a theoretical linkage. It also analyses the political process of Nigeria and how it manipulates the youths in contributing to insecurity. With the aid of historical-descriptive research from the secondary methodology, findings show that since independence, Nigerian politics has been characterized by various forms of violence such as ballot snatching, thuggery, bloodshed and assassination. The level poverty has also created extremist and terrorist groups, some with religious coloration and some with ethnic and regional affiliations. This in most cases has led to a condition of insecurity. In all the violence that surrounds Nigerian politics, poverty and youth linkage is the root cause, because youths are the perpetrators of every violent political act in Nigeria as influenced by the political predators. The paper concludes that Poverty is believed to be the root cause of all violence especially in a society where youths population is significant. Nigeria has been engulfed at different intervals by political, religious and ethnic conflicts engendered as a result of poor youths' handling where they are swayed by little cash and drugs. This menace cannot abate without a greater youth empowerment, education and drastic national orientation. The paper recommends that massive employment opportunities be provided, the inflow of foreign direct investment be promoted and constant workshops, seminars, conferences should be periodically organized for religious and political elites to acquaint them with current and usable information on how to curb the menace of youths' poverty and insecurity in Nigeria.

In recent years, insurgency has dangerously become a global topical issue has since been drawing an urgent attention from researchers, irrespective of their discipline diversity. The negative omen has escalated at different locations and times with gigantic loss of lives and properties in Burma, Libya, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Somalia and recently, the terrorist attack on European France city of Paris, which rendered about 300 injured and claimed 129 lives. The Northeastern region of Nigeria has been rendered into a haven of insurgents where their nefarious activities forcibly metamorphosed a large population of Nigerians into displaced persons. However, the aftermath of this unwanted phenomenon has been massive distortion in the educational achievement of women and under-aged. An erstwhile conglomerate of hardworking agrarian communities were completely erased, dislodged, maimed, dispersed; while their virile youths-under-aged females were mercilessly raped and or kidnapped; and males were either forcibly recruited into militancy or brazenly slaughtered by the terrorists under pretentious guise of non-existent religious beliefs. To achieve the research objective, this paper took a voyage into available literatures in answering the research questions bordering on studying the beliefs in terrorism, the educational losses accrued by the displaced women and children and the political shenanigans underneath the humanitarian services enjoyed by the victims. The study concluded that the religiosity of terrorism does not fall into consonance with any religious doctrine; under-aged educational achievement has been endangered and politically, there is lack of political will and sincerity in the distribution of relief materials at the various EDPs, IDPs camps. Therefore, continuation of such trend is tantamount to creating more population of neglected persons; which brings about future insurmountable security challenges. Finally, the paper suggested on how to avoid initiation and escalation of terrorism in Nigeria.

IKENGA INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INSTITUTE OF AFRICA STUDIES, 2024

The protection of lives and property remains the cardinal responsibility of the government and the hallmark for the existence of critical sectors like education, health, social infrastructure and the entire economy. However, the Nigerian state has experienced an increasing rate of internal insecurity in the Northeastern part of Nigeria, which has significantly negatively impacted the basic education sub-sector between 2014 and 2020 in the Northeast despite the government's efforts to fight insecurity. These internal security challenges have led to the destruction of schools and the abduction of secondary school students and teachers by bandits and Boko Haram in Northeast Nigeria. Systems theory was adopted as the theoretical framework for this study. The expository qualitative method of inquiry was used for data collection, which entails the in-depth acquisition of documentary material, and the data was analysed using the content analysis technique. The study found, among others, that accessibility and affordability of basic education have retrogressed due to the insecurity in the Northeast, which undermines the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in education by 2030. To curb these challenges, the study recommends that the Federal Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the government of Northeastern states, should recruit and train armed education marshals to offer security surveillance in schools.

First International Conference on Education (SSI1stICE), 2016

T he deprivation of the national development of many countries that has been under threats of it people's physical and structural safety, forced displacements, access to health and education, political freedom and democracy lies on the shoulder of human security. It is needed in response to the complexity and the interrelatedness of both old and new security threats-from chronic and persistent poverty to ethic violence, human trafficking, climate change, health pandemics, terrorism, and sudden economic and financial downturns. Mostly, this threats possessed dynamic dimension which tend to move beyond traditional notions of security in an integrated manner. It is also one of the foundational conditions of being human, including both (1) sustainable protection and provision of the material conditions for meeting the embodied needs of the people, and (2) the protection of the variable existential conditions for maintaining a dignified life. It is maintained that human security placed it attention to individuals living in a particular nation, regardless of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, or other distinguishing characteristics. Human security should be achieved-but how?-Through education. Education is considered to be the basic human right. There is a strong connection between the goals of human security and those of education. For many people, elementary education is the very first step to security, employment, political participation and enjoyment of legal rights, thereby raising awareness about human rights and also preventing old and new threats posed to human security. This study will discuss education as the basic for achieving maximum human security in Nigeria.

Unemployment is a global social phenomenon and a concern for governance as high rate of unemployment in an economy retards rate of growth and national development. Globally an estimated 201.8 million people were reported as jobless and youth constitute the biggest casualties, with 74.5 million aged 15-24 unemployed in 2013. Youth unemployment rate in 2013 for East Asia; Middle East and North Africa; and Sub-Saharan Africa were 10.1; 28.3 and 11.9 compared to adult rate of 3.6; 7.9 and 6.0 respectively. In Nigeria, unemployment rate has worsened over the years due to weak economy and more than 60 per cent of youth are unemployed. This paper highlights the implications for national security and development using secondary materials. The finding is that as the pillar for national security and development, unemployed youth energies are challenged towards negative ventures like perpetration ofviolent conflicts and criminal activities. 90-95 per cent of violent conflicts are perpetrated by unemployed youths and more than 300 forms occurred between 1999 and 2014, making the polity an insecure environment scaring away investors and deterring development. The conclusion is that the potentials of the over 200000 youths that graduate annually from tertiary institutions are not harnessed for national security and development. We recommend the urgent mobilisation of all sectors and political commitment to address youth unemployment as an endemic disease devouring human potentials, national security and development.

Societies have been transformed from one stage/level of development to the other by virtue of education. European countries such as Britain, France, Germany etc have metamorphosed over the years as a result of the foresight which they had. Europe today is viewed as the most developed continent of the world, when certain development indices are put into consideration. The renaissance (which started in Italy and spread like wild fire into other parts of Europe) and the Age of Enlightenment in Europe and the American colonies can be said to have been the mothers of the industrial revolution in the same clime. In a nutshell it was a period when education, knowledge acquisition and a radical understanding of the society in which the individual lived in was given its pride of place. The two can be described as Education. Education is a catalyst for the transformation of any society, including Nigeria. This is why it has become an alternative for mitigating against many societal ills such as militancy, insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping, vandalism of oil pipelines etc. The role of educators therefore cannot be over-emphasised. Relying largely on secondary data, the paper looked into the transforming role of education as a sine qua non for mitigating against militancy and insurgency in Nigeria. With failed attempts through the use of force in preventing conflicts and violence arising from the activities of these belligerent groups, an alternative is needed.