Governance and Threats to National Security in Emerging Democracies: A Focus on the Nigerian Fourth Republic

Abstract

This paper discusses threats to national security in emerging democracies with specific focus on the democratic experiment of the Nigerian fourth republic. The paper through the use of system theory unfolds the hyphen and buckle between governance and national security. The paper argues that poor political governance as manifested in lack of people centred political leadership, poor institutionalisation of democratic governance, widespread unemployment, poverty, infrastructural decay among others have led to crude contestation of political power which threatens the survival of the Nigerian state. The conception of the paper is that poor governance or lack of people centred governance has propelled a scenario where the people especially the primary groups have resulted to militancy as a means of getting the attention of government as regard the allocation and effective implementation of state resources. This scenario no doubt has negatively impacted on the security of the Nigerian state. Thus, in order to enhance good governance and national security in the Nigerian fourth republic the paper recommended a functional political leadership that is people centred as a mechanism for deepening democracy and checking against militancy among others.

Key Words: Democratic governance. Identity politics. Militancy. Political  leadership. Poverty. System theory.