National Security in Nigeria's Relations with its Neighbours

The study addressed the challenges and burden of leadership ~àcing Nigeria by
virtue of its quest for promoting and sustaining good neighbourliness as well as the
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situation of its national" security in West and Central Africa. lt also captured the emerging
issue~·a:nd challenges facing Nigeria's national security in relations with its neighbours.
Primary and secondary data were employed for the study. The Primary data were
obtained thrôugh the administration of in-depth interviews and focus group discu_ssions
(FGDs). The iQ-depth interviews were condùcted arnong officiais of government ranging
from desk officers of the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to staff of the Nigerian
National Boundary Commission, law enforcement agents at the border · posts and
academics who are specialists on the subject. The FGDs were carried out mai,rly among
the border communities i.e. traders, arfr ,1ns, students and civil servants. The officiais
interviewed were purposively selected because' of their irivolvement in policy formulation
and implementation on the subject. While the choice of rr:: 1ple in the border areas
between Nigeria and the neighbouring countries is because they have a nuanced and firsthand
feel of what transpires in the bo~der ar~as; · such as the nature of security
· threats/cooperation as well as the dynamics of cross-border interactions in the areas: The
. Primary . data were complemented with Secondary data· - involving extensive and
thorough desk research. The data collected were analysed using descriptive rnethod.
The study revealed that there are no consistent programmes on Nigeria's national
security in relations with its West and Central African neighbours. lt was also discovered
that. Nigeria's security agenda is still fore~gn-driven (i.e: driv.en main,ly by the major
players in the international system, especially the United · States of America).
Furthermore, the findings showed that apàrt from scholarly ati.alysis of Nigeria's national
security in relations with its neighbours, the Nigerian governinent did not give it the much