BROADENING THE SCOPE OF NATIONAL SECURITY

National security implies that government should protect the state and its citizens from all kinds of crises, argues Chekwube Nzomiwu

Two things occurred to me when I learnt about the role played by the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu in the resolution of the recent nationwide strike of the organised labour. One, my mind told me that the President did not make a bad choice for the job of NSA. Two, I saw it as an indication that the former Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) fully understands the nitty-gritty of his new assignment, unlike most of his predecessors. 

In the past, we had NSAs who did not see their job beyond policing and securing the territory of the country or like in the case of the immediate past NSA, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd.), ensuring the safety of the President. While blood tasty non-state actors unleashed mayhem for eight years nonstop in different parts of the country in that era, Monguno appeared cozy, travelling with his former principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, from one part of the world to the other.  

Ribadu’s appointment as NSA was greeted with skepticism, especially from those who felt that the coveted job should be the exclusive preserve of persons with military background. In my opinion, their position must have been borne out of crass ignorance or the erroneous conception of national security, which has prevailed in the country over time. 

In Nigeria, people tend to see national security from the narrow prism of defence and law enforcement. Once a national security threat is mentioned, people’s minds flash to the activities of non-state actors, such as Boko Haram, bandits, ESN and kidnappers, among others. 

However, security experts see national security as much more encompassing than just policing and securing a country and its citizens.  For instance, in 1998, Alhaji Ismaila Gwarzo, who was a non-military NSA during the military era, defined national security as freedom from hunger, or from threat to a nation’s ability to protect or defend itself, promote its cherished values and interest, and enhance the well-being of its people. Going by Gwarzo’s definition, national security extends to the protection of the economy, institutions and indeed, every other thing pertaining to the nation. 

A few practical examples of national security threats will suffice here. Firstly, food insecurity is a national security threat. Food insecurity exacerbates poverty and inequality and creates social tensions. It is said that a hungry man is an angry man. When people don’t have food on their table it could trigger insecurity. Although the 2020 ENDSARS initially started as a peaceful protest against police brutality, it became an opportunity for angry citizens to vent their anger over the hunger in the land. During the unrest, government warehouses and stores were looted by hungry protesters. Lives were lost in the violence that trailed the protest.

Secondly, any threat to the environment is a threat to national security. Some people have linked the farmers/herders’ clashes in the country to the desert encroachment in Northern Nigeria, forcing the herders to move southwards. Unfortunately, these clashes are now assuming other dangerous colourations. The clashes have claimed thousands of lives and rendered hundreds of thousands of others homeless in different parts of the country. These homeless people are now living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.  Their means of livelihood have also been destroyed. The development has exacerbated ethnic and social tensions, leading to widespread violence.  

I could recall vividly that sometime in 2014, then President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan launched the implementation of the N100 billion Nigerian component of the Great Green Wall (GGW) in Arewa Local Government Area of Kebbi State, to address the social, economic and environmental impacts of land degradation and desertification on communities bordering the Sahel and Sahara deserts. 

The Nigerian component comprises a greenbelt of 1,500 km long, stretching across 11 states from Kebbi in North West to Borno in North East. The remaining nine states covered by the Nigerian component include Zamfara, Gombe, Yobe, Jigawa, Adamawa, Bauchi, Katsina, Sokoto and kano States. The project includes planting of trees and establishment of industries that would process the fruits. Jonathan’s successor, Muhammadu Buhari, from Katsina State, discontinued the project which would have created millions of jobs in the Northern States.   

Just like desertification, competition for water is a threat to national security. In September 2019, President Buhari raised an alarm over the shrinking of Lake Chad at an event in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The disappearance of Lake Chad has been linked to food insecurity, conflicts, terrorism and displacement of people from their homes. 

Equally a threat to national security is what American political scientist, Ted Robert Gurr referred to as “economic discrimination” in his seminal work “Why Men Rebel,” published in 1970. Put in simple terms, economic deprivation is a threat to national security. Currently, 133 million Nigerians are living in multi-dimensional poverty, amid 25 percent inflation in a country where N160 billion would be spent on procuring SUVs for 469 federal lawmakers.

According to Gurr’s ‘relative deprivation theory’ of political violence, when people see a large gap between their expectations and what they think they can get, they respond with anger. This anger turns into aggression. Any attempt by government to use force, strengthens the strife. Besides, the activities of the violent non-state actors mentioned earlier has been linked to high rate of unemployment in the country, which stood at 33.3 percent before the recent controversial 5.3 percent unemployment rate reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently, based on the new Nigeria Labour Force Statistics Report.       

An attack on any national institution also constitutes a national security threat. For instance, the recent strike by the organised labour in Nigeria was a response to the brutalisation of the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero in Owerri by suspected agents of Imo State Government, working in cahoots with the Nigerian police. The already distressed Nigerian economy, incurred heavy revenue losses during the strike, which lasted two days.  The NLC, headed by Ajaero, is one of the key institutions in the country, being the umbrella body of all Nigerian workers. Hence, an attack on NLC or its leaders, is a threat to national security.

Election malpractice or rigging also has grave national security implications because it could trigger violence. One of the key ingredients of democracy is a transparent election process. Nigeria has witnessed several cases of election and post-election violence from the First Republic to the current Fourth Republic. In some cases, lives and property were lost.  In fact, election violence was linked to the collapse of Nigeria’s first two Republics. 

In conclusion, I think time is ripe for re-conception of national security in Nigeria. No country develops in an atmosphere of insecurity. We must prioritise national security (in the real sense of it) before we talk about foreign direct investment. National security implies that government should protect the state and its citizens against all kinds of national crises using economic and political power, diplomacy and military might, among others.     

Nzomiwu, a development communicator and political scientist writes from Awka, Anambra State