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Reclaiming Security and Growing Trans-border Cooperation in Nigeria
As a theme, security and trans-border cooperation in Nigeria is trending. This is so in official circle as Nigeria confronts it biggest development challenge with the event in the north east in the last six or seven years. Security is also trending because in deciding on this theme, the organisers of this event have, in part, this consideration in mind. It is also trending because this is the view of security Nigerians are most familiar with.
The events in the north east is set to putting security and trans-border cooperation on the political agenda for the foreseeable future not just for Nigeria but for most of the world. This is in view of development all around the world. They include those created by the requirement of the global war on terror, the deepening profile of non state groups including Al-Qaida and ISIS, the rise of Donald Trump and the uncertain future of the United States and world politics, technologies in crime and crime control, technologies of resistance, migration, refugees and asylum seekers and urbanisation.
Of interest to this paper is the question of security, its use and misuse in the country and the need to reclaim security for what it should be and not what officialdom made it to be. When Nigerians intervene to reclaim security, this will create the foundation for a security theory and practice that will enhance trans-border cooperation essentially because it will be focused on improving the material lives of the people in the border communities, on short, medium and long term basis and the defence of Nigeria. It is because the practice of security is not geared towards this that borders are sources of anxiety for the state. Ensuring border cooperation cannot be achieved at the official level only. The communities on the borders are important to this objective.
In what follows, security as the key concept is conceptualised and situated in the Nigerian context. The paper also examines the notion of “reclaim” from where it argues that Nigerians need to “reclaim” and take ownership of security to ensure it serves the interest of Nigerians and not just the narrow interest it currently represent. The paper adopts governance as the framework of analysis. This is because getting governance right would create the type of security that will grow trans-border cooperation of the type that transcends paper and officialdom to enlisting the cooperation of border communities. However, it is the opinion of this paper that making governance work requires the intervention of non state groups.
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Reclaiming Security and Growing Trans-border Cooperation in Nigeria
...the Future of Nigeria's Initiatives
