My Concept on
National Security’
By Eben Enasco
Kingsley
Before we keep the trend on, let us
know what the concept of national security is by its vast definitions.
Various attempts at defining national
security have been made, although in certain views, there are no universal
definitions, as it means different things to different countries.
A distinction between definitions of national
security, broadened definitions and definitions specifically applicable to
Third World countries explained it to be ‘the protection of the state and its
vital interests from attack by other states’.
Following the end of the Cold War, the
understanding of national security shifted to ‘the threats to individual
citizens and to our way of life, as well as to the integrity and interests of
the state’.
This change in the concept of national
security emphasizes the fact that following the end of the Cold War, the
security environment has passed from a bipolar system to a complex one, while
the threats are more and more complex.
The rise of transnational terrorism
has also led to new understandings of security and the need for new approaches
to growing transnational crime particularly on Boko Haram, isis and Niger Delta
militancy.
The National Security
and Contingent Factors
First, Nigeria national security must
be examined within both national and international spheres. From a national
perspective, security is contingents on political security, economic security,
demographics, societal security, environmental security and energy security.
• Political
Security:
Governance, law and order and human
rights are key Constituents of political security in Nigeria. Nigeria national
security is thus contingent on the government’s implementation of good
governance in the public domain, the maintenance of law and order by law
enforcement agencies and the ability of state and non‐state actors to effectively address human
rights issues.
• Economic Security:
Economic security in Nigeria can be
assessed in terms of the condition of having stable income or other resources
to support a standard of living now and in the foreseeable future. The economic
security of Nigeria also depends on the level of employment and inflation.
• Societal Security:
Gender inequality, violence against
women and drug abuse are issues of social security which impinge on the
national security of Nigeria. Nigeria has made great progress in the sphere of
women’s empowerment over the years but the issue of drugs continues to be a
national security concern. Although Nigeria is not a drug producing country, it
is a destination country of drug smuggling from some neighboring countries as
well as a transit country for drug trafficking to countries further afield.
Transnational Crime:
Smuggling is rampant across the porous
borders between the West African boarders with cattle, rice and all forms of
consumer goods being transferred illegally across the borders. Despite the
negative economic impact of smuggling of consumer goods, the most nefarious
form of smuggling is in arms and drugs. Organized criminal groups have been
reported to smuggle all sort of materials from the spongy boarders.
Recommendations:
This write up is submerged on making
recommendations on how to manage some of these negative effects on the concepts
of national security.
Nigeria’s answer to the future
coordination of the security strategy architecture will provide the
transformation and adaptation directions, including the armed forces. Some
measures that the government may take include:
Constituting a Parliamentary Committee
on National Security to help monitor the implementation and development of this
strategy
Strengthening the capability to offer
a strategic perspective on security Priorities and improve connections between
defense, development, foreign and domestic security strategies.
Creating a national security forum which
includes representatives from government, politics, academia and others, to
discuss strategy and exchange ideas
Like in the United Kingdom, there can
be the publication of a National Risk Register and an annual update on the
security challenges facing Bangladesh and progress on implementing the strategy
Conclusion
To build a cohesive National Security
Strategy for Nigeria, there are two immediate requirements.
Firstly, there must be an
understanding of the concepts and components of national security as it relates
to our country, as well as clarification of the range of duties and
responsibilities of the concerned
Stakeholders
Secondly, consensus must be reached on
the constituents of the strategy by civil and military stakeholders. To meet
the first requirement the civil society can undertake extensive research,
advocacy and deliberation on this issue.
The second requirement can be met by
robust civil‐military
deliberations on the constituents of the National Security Strategy. Thus a
cohesive civil‐military relationship
is a prerequisite for building a National Security Strategy for Nigeria, which
would enable the country to effectively address the key
National security concerns of
terrorism, insurgency and resources security.
In order to ensure the safety and
security of our nation, stakeholders from military and civil society must
engage in robust discussions aimed at minimizing 10 communication and
operational gaps and promulgate concerns and recommendations to envision a
National Security Strategy.
A collaborative effort by military,
civil authorities and experts is required to create such a strategy to
Prepare Nigeria for the complex
security challenges of the 21st century.
I would like to conclude by saying
that each country’s national security strategy needs to be tailor‐made according to its specific security
environment, which comprises the expectations, values and interests of its
citizens.
