In Search of the Causes of Insecurity in Nigeria:: A Note on Administrations and their Agendas

A Nigèria, la seguretat i la inseguretat són dues cares de la mateixa moneda. Així doncs, cal una representació que reflecteixi la realitat d’aquest país. La seguretat és humana i estructural. A Nigèria, el problema general és estructural i no es pot ignorar la influència de les forces armades en la governança i en la conformació de la teoria i la pràctica de la seguretat. Aquesta influència també va venir en certa manera dels entorns internacionals, així com de la interpretació i l’aplicació a països com Nigèria. Abans del canvi de paradigma del PDNU l’any 1994, la definició de la seguretat se centrava més en l’estructura que en els éssers humans. En aquest sentit, la inseguretat ha predominat a Nigèria. La inseguretat afecta els éssers humans i es veu fomentada per la corrupció i la pobresa dels líders i dels seus seguidors. Aquesta inseguretat determina el programa de desenvolupament. L’article examina aquest tipus d’inseguretat tenint en compte les tendències històriques i centrant-se en les polítiques des de 1999. Les administracions, amb la seva incapacitat per a complir els seus programes de millora de la qualitat de vida dels nigerians, no es distingien en res d’un règim militar. Aquesta situació no només fa augmentar la desconfiança, sinó que també fomenta la inseguretat.Security and insecurity are two sides of the same coin which has been misrepresented in Nigeria. Thus, a representation to reflect the reality of Nigeria is needed. Security is human and structural. For the most part in Nigeria, it is about the structure, and here the influence of the military in governance and in shaping the theory and practice of security cannot be ignored. This influence was in part the function of the international enabling environments and the interpretation and domestication in countries such as Nigeria. In defining security prior to the UNDP paradigm shift in 1994, structure rather than human beings was the focus. To that extent, insecurity has prevailed in Nigeria. Insecurity affects human beings and is powered by corruption and poverty of the leadership and the followers. One such area of insecurity is setting the agenda for development. Looking at the historical trend and focusing on policies since 1999, the paper examines this type of insecurity. The inability of administrations to fulfil their set agendas for improving the quality of lives of Nigerians meant there was nothing to distinguish them from a military regime. This situation not only extends distrust, it enhances insecurity.La seguridad y la inseguridad son dos caras de una misma moneda de la que se ha dado una imagen falsa en Nigeria. Así pues, se necesita una representación que refleje la realidad de Nigeria. La seguridad es humana y estructural. En general, el problema de Nigeria es estructural, y en este sentido no puede ignorarse la influencia del ejército en la gobernanza y en la configuración de la teoría y la práctica de la seguridad. Esta influencia vino en parte de los entornos internacionales, así como de su interpretación y aplicación en países como Nigeria. Al definir la seguridad antes del cambio de paradigma del PDNU en 1994, la atención se centraba más en la estructura que en los seres humanos. En este sentido, la inseguridad ha reinado en Nigeria. La inseguridad afecta a los seres humanos y se ve alimentada por la corrupción y la pobreza de los líderes y de sus seguidores. Una tal área de inseguridad está determinando el programa de desarrollo. Mirando las tendencias históricas y centrándose en las políticas desde 1999, el artículo examina este tipo de inseguridad. La incapacidad de las administraciones para cumplir sus programas de mejora de la calidad de vida de los nigerianos hizo que no hubiera nada que las distinguiera de un régimen militar. Esta situación no solo genera desconfianza, sino que también fomenta la inseguridad

A History of Policing in the Benue Province, 1926-1960

ABSTRACT This thesis is a historical appraisal of the policing and crime conditions prevalent in the Benue Province during the colonial period. The basis of the work was derived from the present law and order situation and the apparent worsening ability of the State through the police to contain the rising crime within the nation. In this work, we traced and demonstrated the fact that the communities that constituted the Benue Province have had crisis that bothered on the breakdown of law and order but that the scope and extent cannot be compared with what became evident following the imposition of colonial rule. Similarly we also demonstrated that although the institution of police was not as formal as what became the rule following colonial rule, what was available provided the needed sanction and restored social harmony in the society. The work also attributes the increasing crime situation in the period to the changed economic and social order and the deprivation this engendered among the populace. Theft that became the commonest form of crime was induced by the inability of the people to meet their basic need after fulfilling the different colonial bligations. The situation was exacerbated with the Depression of the 1930s. The introduction of taxation and the requirement to pay in the colonial currency was also condition that was alien to the indigenous economy. The introduction of European goods and the cultivation of the tastes for them were conditions that provided opportunity for criminal tendency among the people. It was borne out of these conditions that one could appreciate the current crisis bedeviling the nation and within it the role of the police as the foremost agency for control. The current crime situation in Nigeria is a product of the forces unleashed by a changing world and the weakening ability of the government to provide for its people. Paradoxically, the governments have had to equip the police in order to control the declining law and order problem when all it requires is for the government to empower the people with jobs and access to facilities for self-actualization. The work provided a historical parallel to the current crime and policing problem in the country using the then Benue Province.Benue Province, 1926-196