ollowing the war between Israel and Iran, it is necessary to ask whether Nigeria has an effective national security system to guarantee its sovereignty. Based on the chaotic circumstances in the country, it is argued here that Nigeria does not have a functional national security system, even though it has several security agencies. There is a big difference between having an array of security agencies and having a national security system. To know the difference between the two, it is essential to define and explain what a national security system entails.

What is National Security?

National security can be defined as the totality of policies, measures, programs, and actions taken to ensure the security, wellbeing of the citizens, and territorial integrity of the state.

The policies, measures, programs, and actions include such things as good governance, the upholding of the rule of law, respect for democracy, equal treatment of all citizens regardless of ethnicity, tribe, region, sex, religion, and political affiliation, effective government institutions, effective management of the economy to ensure growth and employment for citizens, the provision of social welfare services and national health insurance for citizens, and an enabling environment for the germination of private sector economic activities to create wealth. It also includes an effective security system whereby the policy, goals, and outcomes for national security are spelt out clearly, a robust budgetary allocation for the development and modernization of the armed and police forces, intelligence agencies, immigration, customs, and equipping them with appropriate modern technological equipment, and taking good care of the needs of the security personnel

If the described national security requirements were applied to Nigeria's national security, it is obvious that the country does not meet half of the conditions necessary to have an effective national security system.

Nigeria's ruling elites, like African ruling elites generally, tend to assume that the mere provision of security forces (army, navy, air force, police, intelligence, customs, immigration and so forth) is sufficient to ensure an effective national security system. They generally fail to realize that effective national security must include good government, the rule of law, respect for the constitutional rights of citizens, and an enabling environment for private businesses to thrive in order to grow the economy and generate wealth and employment.

What Does Nigeria Have for a National Security?

Nigeria has the Nigeria Army, Navy, Airforce, Immigration, Police, Customs, National Intelligence Agency, Department of State Service, Defense Intelligence Agency, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense, and so forth. They are not coordinated in a manner that integrates them with the national security system. Most often, they compete instead of cooperating to enhance the strategic interest of Nigeria. They spend more time protecting the members of the ruling elite against the general interests of the citizens who are angry over bad governance and massive corruption. The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) spend more time providing services to the rich and the ruling elite while treating the citizens disdainfully.

Reasons Why Nigeria Does Not Have a National Security System?

As indicated in the definition above, national security goes beyond merely providing security forces and using them to keep the population in check while there is poor governance, poor economic management, massive corruption, lack of well-coordinated social welfare programs for citizens and no accessible national health care insurance program for citizens and more than 12 million out of school children roaming around without going to school. The list below is a compilation of the reasons why Nigerian does not have a functional national security system.

First, no sovereign state will allow its ruling elites, including the president, vice president, members of parliament, governors, ministers, and directors of government agencies to go overseas for medical services. Such individuals must and should receive medical services at home, regardless of the circumstances, to avoid being exposed to foreign intelligence recruitment and spying. Imagine the president of Nigeria receiving medical services overseas and the national security agency could not stop him from doing so.

Second, no sovereign state will allow its head of state to carry out official working visits outside the country in the name of a working stay. Nigerian ruling elites are not conscious of the fact that the international political system is deadly, and a head of state can easily be harmed staying constantly overseas. If Nigeria has an effective national security system, the president would have been advised to stop carrying out official work overseas if he believes in the sovereignty of Nigeria. Nigerian and other African rulers violate the national security of their countries by constantly going on working vacations overseas.

Third, if Nigeria has an effective national security system, it would have stopped Nigerian ruling elites from depositing their funds in oversea banks. When the ruling members of the state have their funds deposited in foreign banks, they compromise the national security of Nigeria because they subject themselves to be forced to serve as foreign agents to avoid their funds being seized. They can also be easily manipulated to engage in treasonable activities in the country to satisfy the strategic goals of foreign countries that want to destabilize Nigeria.

Fourth, it is a violation of the sovereignty of Nigeria to have a situation whereby all the members of the ruling elite send their children overseas for higher education. By so doing, Nigeria's ruling elites are demarketing Nigerian education by implying that the country's education is inferior, hence, they want their children to receive the best education in the world against other Nigerian children. Education is an instrument of socialization, so, when the ruling elites send their children overseas for education, the children are socialized largely to embrace the cultures of the places where they attend school. When they return home, they behave like foreigners rather than as Nigerians because they are largely grounded in the cultures of the places they attended school. Therefore, most high-level government officials, not only in Nigeria but throughout Black Africa are socialized to embrace foreign cultures. They make decisions based on the cultural practices of the societies they attended school. It is bad for Nigeria and Africa.

Fifth, it costs tremendously to send a child to receive education in a foreign country. The salaries of Nigeria's elected and appointed public officials are not enough for them to send their children to study in the UK or US or France or Germany or Spain. Therefore, it is inferable that many public officials embezzle massively in Nigeria to accumulate money to sponsor their children education overseas. Thus, sending children of the elites overseas is a threat to the national security of Nigeria because it contributes to massive pilfering of public funds.

Sixth, the fact that many current and former high-level public officials build huge mansions is a threat to the national security of Nigeria. Why? Because their official salaries cannot sustain the building of such massive structures. Some of the houses cost about N400 million to about N1bn. Therefore, it is inferable that the building of massive mansions by public officials contributes to massive pilfering of public funds. The massive pilfering of public funds contributes to massive corruption which is a threat to the national security of Nigeria.

Seventh, the way the National Assembly operates is a threat to the national security of Nigeria. Why? Because the senators and representatives rarely conduct their official business in a professional manner. The Senate allows the president to submit names of candidates for ministerial positions without attaching their job portfolios. This makes it difficult to ask specific questions to determine the qualifications and competencies of the candidates to perform their assignments. In addition, the National Assembly rarely conduct thorough investigations about the backgrounds of the candidates before approving the list submitted by the president. The failure to investigate thoroughly before approving the candidates contributes to incompetence and bad governance in Nigeria. Incompetence and poor governance result in instability which is a threat to national security. It is a threat to the national security of Nigeria for the president to send the list of ministerial candidates without assigning job portfolios so that the National Assembly can thoroughly review their backgrounds. It is necessary for each ministerial candidate to answer specific questions that relate to his or her job assignment.

Similarly, both at the national and state levels, the legislature always fails to scrutinize items listed in the budgets before passing them. The nonchalant way national and state budgets are passed by the legislators contribute to massive corruption in the country.

Eighth, due to the ineffective national security system, presidential candidates are not sufficiently subjected to background investigation. Under a functional national security system, presidential candidates would effectively be vetted to ensure that they do not suffer from incapacitating diseases or illnesses that can interfere with their official functions if elected as a president; they have no criminal background; they have no scandalous incidents that could compromise them, and they have never been involved in embezzlement of public funds. It should be recalled that Nigeria faced two painful political situations in the past when President Umaru Yar'Adua and President Muhammadu Buhari got seriously sick and were flown overseas without transferring power to their vice presidents. Moreover, they spent months in foreign medical facilities as if Nigeria is not a sovereign state. The Yar'Adua case destabilized the country until Nigerians had to put pressure on the National Assembly to swear in the vice president. Additionally, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode had written that seven of Nigeria's former heads of state were alleged foreign agents. He also said that most of the miliary coups and political killings in Nigeria involved foreign intelligence operations. (Fani-Kayode, https://dailypost.ng/2022/04/24/7-nigerian-leaders-worked-for-uk-us-fani-kayode-lists-secrets/ ). Thus, it is necessary to vet presidential candidates exhaustively to avoid foreign agents serving as Nigeria's presidents. No sovereign state can grow if its leaders are seriously compromised.

Ninth, the members of the National Assembly behave as if they are members of the Executive Branch, instead of serving as the protectors of the public purse and watching over the Executive Branch as part of their oversight functions. The Legislative Branch is constitutionally supposed to be a separate branch from the Executive Branch. Unfortunately, the members of the National Assembly increasingly act as if they are working for the president instead of serving the citizens as their representatives. Likewise, state legislators also behave like members of the state's Executive Branch and transfer the budgetary functions to the governors while they wait eagerly to approve whatever the governors submit.. This behavior contributes to corruption and a threat to national security by contravening the separation of powers principle.

Tenth, if Nigeria has a functional national security system, the Nigerian judiciary, which is the Judicial Branch of government would not have been captured by the Executive Branch and the politicians. Due to the failure of the national security system to intervene to stop corruption and the capturing of the third branch of government, an increasing number of judges have become financial hired hands who do the biddings of those who spend enormously to influence justice in Nigeria. In addition, family judicial dynasties are being built as some judges recruit their spouses and children to occupy the bench against the general interest of Nigerians.

Eleventh, if there is a national security system in Nigeria, the NSA would have put pressure on the national government to increase the size of the Nigerian military and the police forces by recruiting more Nigerians into the services. With a population of over 230 million people, the Nigeria Army needs at least 450,000 personnel. The Nigeria Airforce needs at least 30,000 personnel with technologically driven platforms and assorted military aircrafts that can perform all kinds of aerial operations. The Nigeria Navy needs at least 100 warships with a submarine fleet. With a population of over 230 million people, Nigeria needs a police force of at least 800,000 to 900,000 police officers. Similarly, the condition of service for both armed and police forces supposed to be generous with habitable military and police barracks, excellent pay and health care services, and robust retirement programs to attract qualified Nigerians to join the security services. It is the case that soldiers and police officers are poorly paid and treated as if they have no rights.

Twelfth, the NSA would have put tremendous pressure on the Nigerian state to engage in active research and development (R & D) programs to produce high tech weaponry for the Nigerian military and police forces. Time has passed for a country like Nigeria to always beg for other countries to sell weapons and equipment to its armed and police forces. By now, Nigeria supposed to have produced its own satellites and drones capable of being utilized in different sectors of the Nigerian society as part of an industrialization scheme. It is doubtful whether the current Nigerian military can fight a major war since it relies mostly on imported weaponry. At this state of Nigeria's development, the Nigerian armed forces would have established active research and development programs with the universities to develop technological platforms for various weapon systems. It is sad to have a military force with so many generals, admirals and marshals with little or no technological support to enhance national security.

Thirteenth, if Nigeria has an effective national security program, at this stage of the country's growth, Nigeria would have stopped sending its military, police, and intelligence officers overseas for training. Why? The more officers are sent overseas for training, the more some of them are likely to be recruited by the intelligence services of the countries they do training. Similarly, the more military, police, and intelligence officers are sent overseas, the more some of them are likely to be recruited to destabilize the country. It is necessary for Nigeria to develop its own system of military, police and intelligence training and practices at all levels of professionalism and use them as a strategy to enhance national security. It is time to leave the colonial era behind and rely on self-development. Nigeria cannot claim to be a sovereign state and keeps sending security officers overseas for training as if it is still a colony. Nigeria, please grow up and act like a sovereign state.

Fourteenth, if Nigeria has an effective national security system, herdsmen attacks, banditry, and kidnappings would have been stopped or drastically reduced. Right now, Nigeria is incapable of ensuring the security of its citizens and the territorial integrity of its sovereignty because it is unable to deal decisively with violent and criminal gangs that are terrorizing the entire country. Due to the failure of the Nigerian state to protect its citizens, it is doubtful if Nigeria can be regarded as a sovereign state. Imagine Nigeria's armed forces with so many generals, admirals, and marshals and they cannot even defeat Boko Haram and herdsmen. It is a joke! This is why most non-Africans do not take African leaders seriously.

Fifteenth, if Nigeria has an effective national security system, the president would have been compelled to summon political will or courage to order the full mobilization of the military, police, and intelligence services to stop Boko Haram, herdsmen attacks, banditry, and kidnappings of Nigerians. Thousands of Nigerians have been killed and over 2 million Nigerians have been forced to live in Internally Displaced Persons camps (IDPs) inside and outside Nigeria while the violent invaders take over indigenous lands and the military does nothing. Imagine a situation where herdsmen killed 200 Nigerians in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State and the police and military forces are not fully mobilized to put an end to the bloodbath. Currently, captured Boko Haram fighters are treated much better than the victims of Boko Haram attacks who lived in squalid Internally Displaced Peoples Camps (IDP) camps.

Indeed, the ruling elites, especially the president, security chiefs, and governors should have been advised about the need to ensure the security and protection of lives and communities from organized violence that has killed over 60,000 Nigerians. They could be held liable for war crimes and crimes against humanity for failing to mobilize security forces to stop the unnecessary killings. Why? Because by failing to deploy the security forces fully, they are basically abetting the genocidal killings of innocent Nigerians. Nigerian communities in Benue, Bornu, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina, Kogi, Niger, Ondo, Oyo, Osun, Plateau, Taraba, and Zamfara that have been violently attacked with thousands of people killed can file a case in the International Criminal Court (ICC) to charge the president, security chiefs, and governors for failing to carry out their duty and obligation to ensure the security of lives and the protection of the territorial integrity of Nigeria, thereby encouraging the crimes against humanity. It is unacceptable for military chiefs to say that their hands are tied since there is no political will on the part of the ruling political elite to order full mobilization of the security forces to stop the mayhem. By failing to act, they are abetting the killings.

Sixteenth, if security chiefs keep maintaining the view that they cannot stop the violent mayhem that has ravaged the country and caused fear, hardship and increasing poverty, then the DSS, Army, Navy and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) should stop arresting Nigerians who bear arms to defend themselves. Why? Because the security chiefs cannot maintain the position that they have no political order to stop violent herdsmen, bandits, and kidnappers from attacking and killing Nigerians and then turn around to prevent Nigerians from arming and protecting themselves from unprovoked attacks. Failure to stop the mayhem and preventing Nigerians from defending themselves amounts to abetting the violent killings of Nigerians. Again, imagine the recent killings of 200 or more people in Yelewata in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State as well as those in Enugu State without any seriousness on the part of the national and state governments to stop the madness. A state that is incapable of protecting its citizens and territorial integrity is not a sovereign state.

Seventeenth, if Nigeria has an effective national security system, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would have declared a state of emergency in Adamawa, Benue, Bornu, Kaduna, Niger, Ondo, Plateau, Taraba, and Zamfara states and allow the security forces to clamp down on the killers and put a stop to the gruesome mayhem that is going on in the country as if there is no government to tackle the insecurity problem. On the other hand, the president would not have declared a state of emergency in Rivers State. Imagine the critical situation in Benue State where thousands of Nigerians have been killed and the national security system is not activated to put a stop to the killings compared to a mere disagreement between a political godfather and godson in Rivers State resulting in the declaration of a state of emergency by the president. The eagerness in declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State and the unwillingness to declare a state of emergency in states where thousands of Nigerians have been killed and communities ravaged showed clearly that the emergency declaration in Rivers State is a political tactic to capture the state in preparation for 2027. Thus, the democratic rights of Rivers State indigenes have been sacrificed while the human rights of the peoples of Central Nigeria are not protected.

Eighteenth, if Nigeria has a functional national security system, it would not have allowed certain individuals to become so powerful to the extent that they are even more powerful than the state. These invisible individuals who are otherwise referred to as cabals, command so much authority and influence. They have devastated Nigeria through destructive habits. They are responsible for the massive corruption, the twisting and weakening of the law, the sponsoring of political thugs, violent herdsmen, bandits, and kidnappers, as well as exploiting the oil wealth and solid minerals. Sovereignty connotes the ability of the state to have supreme authority over its territory. Therefore, Nigeria cannot be a sovereign state if certain individuals are more powerful than the state to the extent that even the Nigerian military, police force, intelligence services, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and other security agencies are afraid of going after them.

Nineteenth, it is a threat to the national security of Nigeria for a country of about 230 million people to exist without effective social welfare programs to assist citizens in times of need. There is no national health care insurance program which citizens can utilize to receive medical services in a subsidized manner. There is no functional food program that citizens can fall upon in times of economic hardship. There is no functional housing program especially for women and children. The so-called palliatives are mere gimmicks deployed by the ruling elites to cart away money and food that are supposed to go to the needy in society. The worst part of the failure to provide a functional social welfare system is that Nigeria finds it very difficult to establish a reliable computerized data bank of the citizens so that they can access the system to get what they want. The pension system in Nigeria is a disaster for many pensioners. Sometimes, retirees wait for five to 15 years to get their retirement benefits and nobody in government seems to care.

Twentieth, if Nigeria has a functional national security system, the NSA would have impressed upon the government the importance of maintaining an effective public educational system. This is to ensure that all Nigerian children are able to attend school and become educated. Unfortunately, the public educational system is being destroyed through the neglect of primary and secondary schools while private schools are tactically encouraged. It is a fact that private primary and secondary schools and universities are very expensive to the extent that only the children of the rich can access them. Indeed, by now, both public primary and secondary education supposed to have been free for all Nigerian children.

Since the government is not taking proactive measures to ensure that public schools are well funded and maintained to ensure that all children attend school, it is not surprising that about 15 million children are out of school. This means that they will become uneducated adults and could cause tremendous social upheaval in the future to destabilize the country. Thus, it is necessary to send all children to school to ensure the national security of the country.

Twenty-first, if Nigeria has an effective national security system, the country would have stopped having electricity problems. It is amazing that for over fifty years, Nigeria has been incapable of providing a reliable electrical energy system in the country. Nigerian leaders have spent billions of dollars, yet there is nothing to show for the massive funds spent on energy. It is probable that throughout West Africa, Nigeria has the most unreliable electrical energy system. A country needs a steady supply of electrical energy to industrialize and build the economy. Thus, energy is a matter of national security.

Twenty-second, if there is an effective national security system, corruption would have been contained or tamed or drastically reduced. Why? Because corruption, especially the unrestrained embezzlement of public funds by elected and appointed public officials, is the greatest threat to national security. The pathological desire to pilfer public funds has short-changed the country and citizens to the extent that Nigeria has the largest number of poor people in the world. In Nigeria, the public sector is the fastest means to accumulate personal wealth through the pilfering of public funds. Hence, it is not surprising that a large proportion of Nigerian millionaires and billionaires accumulated their wealth through public service. It is the desire to generate some wealth from the government that has compelled many politicians from opposition political parties to jump ship and join the APC which is the ruling party. By jumping ship, they destroy the democratic political system and allow the institutionalization of a one-party political system. A one-party system degenerates into authoritarianism. Thus, it is a violation of the national security of Nigeria for members of opposition political parties to jump ship and encourage a one-party system in Nigeria. Most of the politicians who jumped ship do not believe in democracy but are only interested in perpetuating self-interest.

Enhancing Nigeria's National Security System

The purpose of this section is to suggest ways of turning a haphazard and highly politicized security system into a functional national security system where national and international decisions are made based on strategic thinking to enhance the national security of Nigeria.

First, it is necessary to have a well spelt out national security policy that is the foundation for ensuring the sovereignty of Nigeria. The president, cabinet ministers, directors of government agencies, governors, the leadership of the security forces, and members of the National Assembly must be informed, educated and constantly reminded that the National Security Policy must be adhered to in making certain decisions. At the present time, it is evidently clear that the ruling elites, including the president, vice president, members of the National Assembly, governors and so forth, have no clue about the importance of reinforcing the national security of Nigeria.

Second, the National Security Adviser (NSA) should be at the top of the high-level government officials who should meet with the president regularly. He or she should have a direct access to the president to keep him or her abreast of what is going in the country and around the world. The president must pay attention to the NSA and not prevent him or her from meeting with him on regular basis.

Third, to empower the National Security Adviser, the title should be changed to the Director of National Security (DNS).

Fourth, the national security team should be made up of the Director of National Security, Chief of Defense Staff, Inspector General of Police, heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Customs, Immigration, Corrections, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense, DSS, National Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, the president's financial and economic management team, the foreign minister, the EFCC and ICPC, at least three specialists in international politics and strategic thinking, the Chairs of the intelligence Committees of the House and Senate of the National Assembly, Minister of Defense, Minister of Agriculture, and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs. The DNS should be the coordinator of the team. So far in Nigeria, not much respect is accorded to the NSA by the heads of other government ministries and agencies.

The National Security Council should be able to take action that is necessary to ensure the territorial integrity of the Nigerian state. It should be able to advise the president not to seek medical treatment overseas. It should be able to issue recommendations that result in clamping down on the so-called powerful cabals that have contributed to bad governance and corruption. The National Security Council should be able to decide whether foreign loans are necessary or not and where to obtain them.

Fifth, there is a need to establish a National Security Advisory Board (NSAB), if none is available at the present time. This board should be made of patriotic and dedicated former high-level government officials, retired senior military, police and DSS officers, former professional diplomats, and individuals with established professional backgrounds in intelligence, technology, economics, private business, medicine, science, and scholars from the universities. This board should meet probably once every three months to review the national security situation and issue advisory to the Director of National Security or NSA for onward transmission to the president and the National Assembly about the national security situation in the country. The National Security Advisory Board should issue reports and forward the reports to the National Security Council. It should be able to offer recommendations for dealing with bilateral and multilateral treaties and protocols. The National Security Advisory Board should be chaired by an experienced professional national security and foreign policy expert like Prof. Akinwande Bola Akinyemi who was the former foreign minister of Nigeria and the Director of Nigerian Institute of International Affairs and the current Chairman of the National Think Tank.

It is strongly believed here that a functional national security system should be the catalyst for transforming Nigeria from being a mere country into becoming a united, vibrant, and advanced scientific and technologically driven economic entity that is a major impactful player in the global geopolitical system.