Boko Haram Insurgency and the Spate of Insecurity in Nigeria: Manifestation of Governance Crisis

Abstract

By all indications, Nigeria is presently one of the unsecured territories in the globe. Each passing year, security is getting worse while the government on whose shoulder lies the responsibility of securing life and property seems handicapped. The recent horror of Boko Haram insurgency and terrorism has added another dimension to the gory state of security in Nigeria, making living in the country a semblance of the Hobbesian state of nature where life is poor, nasty, brutish and, short. The paper interrogates the security situation in Nigeria, the rise of Boko Haram insurgency, most especially in the North Eastern part of the country, and the unfounded conspiratorial explanations on the insurgency. Relying on the Eastonian system theory, the paper argues that the general insecurity and instability presently plaguing Nigeria underscores the governance crisis in the country. Consequently, the paper admonishes that the political leadership should embrace the core values of democratic governance that is anchored on altruistic service delivery, responsiveness, transparency, accountability, inclusiveness and rule of law. It also emphasizes the need for the leadership class to keep politics aside and work towards building faith in the possibility of building a nation where equity, justice and peace rein.

Keywords: Insurgency, Insecurity, Governance Crisis, Conspiracy, Centrifugal, Terrorism.