Boko Haram Insurgency and the Human Capital Cost to Nigeria

Abstract

For many commentators, the Boko Haram insurgency is the outcome of an enduring deprivation of the region and the wanton corruption in the Nigerian society. The group themselves are seen to tap into this thinking as evidence of the evil of Westernization as against the pure practice of Islam. The extent of their success or failure will remain to be argued for a long time to come. However, in response to the violence perpetrated by the group was an equally violent counterterrorism. It is imagined that whichever way it ends will leave some long lasting effects in the country at large and in the north-eastern region particularly. This work explores those long term effects especially in the areas of human capital development using secondary data. The findings showed that the attacks in the areas of education, healthcare, economy, social order, and the consequences of human displacement will adversely affect the human capital development that the region will need to compete favorably with others in the future.

Keywords: Boko Haram, Human Capital, Insurgency, Jihad, Education