CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background of the Study

In recent times, Nigeria has witnessed an unprecedented plaque of crisis and insecurity, each leading to loss of lives and destruction of properties. According to Ezeoha (2011), Security means stability and continually of livelihood, predictability of relationships, feeling safe and belonging to a social group. Internal security, which is related to security can be seen as the act of keeping peace within the borders of a sovereign state or other self-governing territories. This is done generally by upholding the national law and defending against internal security threats. Those responsible for internal security may range from police to paramilitary forces, and in exceptional circumstances, the military itself.

The cause and effects of insecurity in Nigeria has cause many lost of lives and properties and therefore call for special intervention of guidance and counseling. On the other hand, is the antithesis of security.  It has been ascribed different interpretations in association with the various ways which it affects individuals. Some of the common descriptors of insecurity include: want of safety; danger; hazard; uncertainty; want of confidence; doubtful; inadequately guarded or protected; lacking stability; troubled; lack of protection; and unsafe, to mention a few. All of these have been used by different people to define the concept of insecurity. These different descriptors, however, run into a common reference to a state of vulnerability to harm and loss of life, property or livelihood. Beland, (2005), defined insecurity as “the state of fear or anxiety stemming from a concrete or alleged lack of protection.” It refers to lack or inadequate freedom from danger.  In the same token, Oshodi, (2011) argues that one sure way of tackling the insecurity situation in Nigeria is to accord the field of Guidance and counselling a pride of place in policy formulation and implementation to promote national cohesion and integration.

However it can be clearly stated that Nigeria has remained more insecure especially during and after the April 2011 presidential elections and has suffered more than ever in history, a battery of ethno-religious-political crises, taking the shape of bomb blasts sponsored by the Boko Haram religious sect .The unparalleled spate of terrorism, kidnappings and other violent crimes is to say the least, alarming. Religious leaders, churches, mosques etc are not spared in this onslaught. There is no gainsaying the fact that Nigeria is at a cross-road and gradually drifting towards a failed state if this insecurity trend continues.

National security is a collection of precautions, resources and institutions built to secure a sovereign state. Providing national security for the lives and properties within a sovereign state is a vital social contract between the masses, the government and the state. The state is legally bound to offer protection against possible loss, harm or total destruction of human and material resources that promotes socio-economic development in its sovereign environment. A secured state allows for the growth of socio-economic development while an unsecured nation allows for easy attacks on the foundation(s) that builds socio-economic development (Edem, 2010).

The alarming level of insecurity in Nigeria has fuelled the crime rate and terrorists attacks in different parts of the country, leaving unpalatable consequences for the nation’s socio-economic development. To address the threat to national security and combat the increasing waves of terrorism the federal government in the 2013 budget made a huge allocation to security, and the national assembly passed the Anti-Terrorism Act in 2011 (Ewetan, 2013). Despite these efforts, the level of insecurity in the country is still high, and a confirmation of this is the low ranking of Nigeria in the Global Peace Index (GPI, 2012). Despite the plethora of security measures taken to address the daunting challenges of insecurity in Nigeria, government efforts have not produced the desired positive result. This has compelled the Nigerian government in recent time to request for foreign assistance from countries such as USA, Israel, and EU countries to combat the rising waves of terrorism and insecurity.

Meanwhile the response of the governing class to the security situation has been perceived to be lackluster (Onanuga, 2013; Hassan, 2014; Odusile, 2014; Olatunji, 2014; Omeihe, 2014). In other words, the alarming insecurity situation in the country is seen by majority as a manifestation of the various ills of malgovernance in the state. It is believed that the government which has, as one of its fundamental bases of existence, the protection of lives and property, is displaying inadequacies in combating the various crimes and acts of terrorism ravaging the country (Onanuga, 2013). The government’s approach to the spate of insecurity in Nigeria is seen by many as worrisome and condemnable as concerned public analysts are calling on the government to seek for the inputs of the counseling psychologists to combat insecurity in the country.

Guidance and counseling are essential elements in discipline management of people in all societies even the most primitive societies grew out of the necessity of guiding individual’s behavior patterns in the interest of the group. Society itself could not function without the exercise of discipline and security. Using guidance and counseling to enhance discipline and security must be continuously being practiced if people and countries are to work and live harmoniously for the achievement of common purpose. Therefore, this research work seeks to examine the causes and effects of insecurity, highlighting the challenges and relevance of guidance and counseling.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

The socio-political and economic landscape in Nigeria has been blighted by the endemic twin evil of insecurity and terrorism. The abysmal failure of successive administration in Nigeria to address challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequitable distribution of wealth among ethnic nationalities, ultimately resulted to anger, agitation and violent crimes against the Nigerian state by some individuals and groups. Such crimes include militancy, kidnapping, bombing, armed robbery, destruction of government properties, among others.

Dimensionally, the pattern of insecurity in Nigeria has been regionalized. Militia groups’ insurgency in the north, killing by Fulani herdsmen in the North Central, kidnappers in the eastern and southern part of the country, ritual killing in the west, political and non-political calculated assassinations across the nation.

Paraphrasing Udeh (2013), this disturbing sense of insecurity and terrorism pose a daunting challenge towards Nigeria’s effort at national socio-economic development and consequently put to questioning the level of Nigeria’s preparedness to be ranked among the twenty (20) developed countries of the world by the year 2020.

The question begging for answer is perhaps what are the root causes of all these killings? What are the consequences as well as solutions to this? These rhetorical questions may not need answers but it is mind-boggling that despite huge amount of naira voted every year in the name of security by the Government yet Nigeria security situation still remains uncontained. Although whenever there’s a problem there’s always the cause but the case becomes a bigger problem when the cause is not just one or two but an accumulation of national problems. What are the remote and immediate causes of insecurity in Nigerian and how can the situation be resolved? Bad leadership, corruption, illiteracy and many more are all responsible for the state of the country. The leadership of the country has contributed so much to the insecurity Nigeria is facing today.

Consequently, the displaced persons, especially in the north-east and north central where there was high level of ethno/state of insecurity and terrorism in the country, has brought about so many negative effects, including millions of internally political crises. This has led to political, social and economic disruptions which in turn lead to slow economic, social, religious and political development. While these abnormalities seem pervasive and unabated many stakeholders seem to have questioned the role of guidance and counseling in the parlance of national insecurity.

Many of the studies on causes and effects of insecurity were done outside Nigeria. In Nigeria, most of the available studies on insecurity such as Ali (2013), Achumba, Ighomereho, & Akpan-Robaro (2013), Ewetan and Urhie (2014) and Olupohunda (2014), and Tella (2015) were not focusing on the role of guidance and counseling. Moreover, these researches were also theoretical studies whose findings were subjectively based on researchers’ personal opinions. It is noted that the past studies did not give adequate attention to the causes and effects of insecurity, as well as highlighting the role played by guidance and counseling. Hence, this research work seeks to fill the gap in knowledge by critically exploring the causes and effects of insecurity, the challenges and relevance of guidance and counseling.

1.3       Research Questions

The study is being guided by the following research questions:

1.      What are the causes of insecurity in contemporary Nigeria?

2.      What are the effects of insecurity on socio-economic development in Nigeria?

3.      How relevant are the roles of the counseling psychologist in combating insecurity?

4.      What are the challenges of maintaining national security in Nigeria?

5.      To proffer plausible recommendations on how to combat insecurity in Nigeria vis-à-vis guidance and counseling.