SECURITY CHALLENGES AND NATION BUILDING IN AFRICA: NIGERIA IN FOCUS

Abstract

Africa's recent security issues have become a cog in the continent's nation-building machinery. Perhaps the biggest threats to security in Africa are violent extremism and terrorism; there are local groups operating throughout east, west, and southern Africa that have connections to international terrorism. Their actions incite regional conflicts and facilitate organized crime networks, further destabilizing an already precarious political environment that ought to be a tool for nation-building and the advancement of development across Africa, particularly in Nigeria. Security issues have included kidnapping, killings, and the destruction of government buildings, medical facilities, and schools. These issues have plunged the country into a persistent state of insecurity and impeded the process of nation-building. Therefore, this paper uses Nigeria as a case study to examine the threat of security challenges to the development of nation building in Africa. Qualitative techniques are used to gather secondary data for analysis. The results showed that a great deal of lives and property have been lost to insecurity, which has also hindered the effective execution of government policies and initiatives aimed at strengthening the country. As a result, this paper concludes that security challenges have a negative impact on nation building and makes recommendations for how to lessen security challenges in order to promote Nigerian nation building through good governance, corruption, synergy-security, transparent, and accountable leadership.