GOVERNANCE AND SECURITY IN NIGERIA'S FOURTH REPUBLIC

Abstract

This paper focused on governance and security in Nigeria’s fourth Republic. Governance has been described as the formal and informal arrangements that determine how public decisions are made and actions are conducted from the perspective of maintaining a country’s constitutional values. The negligence of the security sector is responsible for the non-performance and good governance resulting to its attendant violent crimes, such as armed robbery, ethnic crisis, electoral violence, kidnapping, etc. Unlike Nigeria, Britain, Canada, and China were nations with high political culture; giving priority to provision of democratic values such as rule of law, accountability, transparency, equity etc. In Nigeria, governance and security is abysmally low. This has manifested in poor infrastructural conditions, high levels of unemployment, poverty, rising inflation and trends of violence crimes, abuse of human rights by the law enforcement agencies, Fulani Herdsmen imbroglio, Banditry and kidnapping of school children, electoral violence, communal conflicts etc. This paper uses available secondary data and Chi Square statistical methods to analyze the missing link between governance and security. The paper recommended that government must ensure good governance, respect for rule of law and equality before the law. Nigeria must improve on its existing security apparatuses in order to combat the dynamic and sophisticated 21st century security challenges. Funds made available to the security agencies are judiciously utilised for the acquisition of skills and the procurement of up-to-date equipment. Government should form a platform that will accommodate all stakeholders such as the politicians, the media, civil society organizations and religious institutions at the local, state and national levels in order to sensitise and re-orientate Nigerians for peaceful co-existence and the consequences of electoral violence. Community policing should also be constitutionally introduced with a view to promote adequate security.