CAUSES AND EFFECT OF COMMUNITY INSTABILITY ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES OF THE PEOPLES OF BORNO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

This paper examines the causes and implications of Boko Haram insurgency on socio-economic activities of the people’s of Borno State, Nigeria. Available factors advanced in the process of the study helped understand what motivating people to join the Boko Haram sect in Borno State and other states of the North-eastern region of Nigeria. It is no longer a news that Boko Haram in the waves of their insurgency in Borno State recorded a killing of thousands of innocent’s people, while destroyed and burnt down government and public properties and infrastructures worth Billions of Naira. Besides, the Boko Haram continued indiscriminate attacks pushed millions of people to internally displaced persons camps and forced thousands of business men and women to abandon their businesses thereby created an unprecedented joblessness, hunger and abject poverty in Maiduguri Borno State. However, it is evident that schools of all level were temporarily closed in the mid of the insurgency for certain period, while public health centres were equally closed in some local government areas due to the pressure of the Boko Haram indiscriminate attacks and killings. All efforts by the security agents to cease the Boko Haram insurgency activities failed to yield positive result. However, little or no attention has been given to the negative consequences of the Boko Haram insurgency on socio-economic activities of the people of Borno State. Its against this backdrop, this paper is intended to study the implications of the Boko Haram insurgency activities on socio-economic activities of the peoples of Borno State. Five objectives, two hypotheses were raised to answer the study questions to comprehend the work. A qualitative research design is adopted using primary and secondary sources of data collection method to generates and adequate information on what influenced the peoples to pledges allegiance to Boko Haram sect, and to what extent the Boko Haram insurgency activities affected the peoples socio-economic activities. A purposive sampling technique is used to select the study respondents. The study target population was drawn from two senatorial districts of Borno State. Borno Central Senatorial District and Northern Borno Senatorial District respectively. Four local government areas were chosen from the two senatorial zones, two each, these are Maiduguri Metropolis, Bama LGA, Kukawa LGA and Mobbar LGA. A sampling size of 379 respondents were selected, 95 respondents from each of the four local government areas chosen. A descriptive statistic, mean and standard deviation as adopted using upper and lower limits of decision rate of 3.0 mean coupled with 5 Likert scale method were utilized to analyze the data and interpret the results. The results of the study revealed that the community instability caused by Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State has posed a serious threat to all sectors of human endeavors, includes, education, healthcare, agriculture and specifically paralyzed the socio-economic activities of the peoples of Borno State. The paper concluded that the damages have been done to almost all the sectors of human endeavors by the activities of Boko Haram insurgency hence the need for investing efforts to revive the areas affected, such as education, healthcare delivery, agriculture and so on. However, this paper is equally recommended that the local governments, state and federal government as well as national and international non-governmental organization and philanthropist should as a matter of urgency join hands together and assist the victims of the Boko Haram insurgency displaced from their business activities and ensuring that all affected sectors of human endeavor are effectively functioning. It is also recommended that government should come up with plan to regulates the affairs of both Islamic and Christianity to avoid radicalization of our growing youth in the future.