TITLE:
An Overview of the Nigerian Defense Policy and the Challenges against Terrorism
AUTHORS:
David Oluwafemi Bodunde, Noah Opeyemi Balogun
KEYWORDS:
Defense Policy, Terrorism, Security, Revolution in Military Affairs, Globalization
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Political Science,
Vol.9 No.3,
June
21,
2019
ABSTRACT: From independence to the present, Nigeria aims and aspiration in its
national defense policy is to maintain peace with its neighbors, security and
defend its territorial integrity. With the principles of Afrocentricism and
neighborliness, it is of no doubt that Nigeria detests war. However, global issues have
transcended maintenance of peace without viable economy, good governance
technology and motivation among which are becoming a challenge against Nigerian
defense policy. Current contemporary issue of terrorism poses serious challenge
on Nigeria defense policy. It is true that Nigerian defense policy addresses
military capability and deterrence against external threat but it lacks the
necessary requirements to back it up in challenging terrorism. It also appears
that Nigeria defense policy is heavily relying on the matrix of military
capability as a source of deterrence rather than the sum total of superior
technology/excellent infrastructure, motivation and resources to fight
terrorism. The Nigerian defense policy also failed to take cognizance of the revolution
in military revolutionary affairs in which new dimension of fighting war
through asymmetric or ultra-irregular warfare and terrorist grand strategy of
kidnapping and suicide bombing have overtaken the place of military
conventional warfare. The paper attempts to trace the historical precedent of
the Nigerian defense policy, its role and challenges in combating terrorism.
The paper made use of observation and secondary data and also concluded that it
is not the Nigerian defense policy on paper that is faulty but it lacks the
operational mechanisms of combating terrorism such as good and purposeful
leadership, motivation, resources and moving with the global trend of
revolution in military warfare. The paper came out with suggested solutions
that government must use human and resources security, de-politicization of terrorism, moving with
the global trend of revolution in military affairs with collective global
security to fight terrorism.