Analysis of President Muhammadu Buhari Administration’s Fight against Insecurity in Nigeria between 2015 and 2020

Abstract

President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office as the fourth Nigerian President in the fourth republic on 29 May, 2015. The administration identified insecurity, corruption and the economy as its focal points. Two years into its second term in office, it is considered appropriate to assess the performance of the administration. The broad objective of this study is to assess the performance of the administration in fighting insecurity in Nigeria between 2015 and 2020. Specifically, it examined the security challenges confronting Nigeria, identified their causes, examined their effects on Nigeria and assessed the efforts of the administration in resolving the challenges. The study used secondary source to collect data and applied thematic method to analyze them. This study adopts the Structural Conflict theory as its theoretical framework. The study identifies the Boko-Haram insurgency, herdsmen/farmers conflicts and Kidnapping/armed banditry as sources of insecurity in the country. The study reveals that the causes of insecurity include:  social exclusion of a segment of the society from the mainstream political economy of the state, failure of the state to address genuine grievances among the people, ethnic bigotry and poverty among others.  The study revealed that military, diplomatic, legal and financial resources have been deployed to fighting the menace but to no avail. The effects of the insecurity include loss of lives and properties, perpetual fear of attack in the minds of the people, non- industrialization and general underdevelopment of the country. The study recommends an inclusive government and government paying attention to all genuine grievances, adequate poverty reduction measures and application of technology, political and military solutions to insecurity.