The issue of security sector management since Nigeria’s independence has been tied to the politics of governance and to the activities of civil society. It encompasses both military and human security and involves questions of development and conflict management. What constitutes security sector reform and how should it be approached?
A paper from the Centre for Defence Studies, Kings College London, focuses on the military side of the equation, examining the issue in its development till nowadays. The concept of ‘security’ in Nigeria was militarised from the beginning of reform, and the politics of reform were controlled by officers with an interest in protecting their position of power. Throughout the 1990s, however, it became clear that the army dictatorship was coming to an end. The security sector became involved in the process of democratic transition. It was recognised that stability in the country would depend on how well the security apparatus was managed and whether it could be capable of skilfully addressing the ethnic, social, economic and political tensions in the country.
The primary task for security sector reform has been to ensure that the military observe the supremacy of democratic institutions and respect civilians and their human rights. The reforms desired by the Nigerian people envisaged that the military should be detached from politics and should perform its proper role in all areas of civil-military relations. Other findings of the paper are that:
- One of the key moves taken so far to reform the security sector is the retirement of about 100 senior military officers. The overall size of the army is planned to be reduced in phases.
- Efforts have been made by the Obasanjo administration to ensure that the armed forces are subject to legislative monitoring. The judiciary has also been subject to reform.
- It is planned that while the military will make a greater contribution to matters related to intelligence, operations and logistics, the civilians will play a more prominent role in policy formulation and defence spending.
- The police in Nigeria have previously been an instrument for regimes to combat opposition. Although there has been some movement on police reform, there is still evidence of abuse of power.
- The current external security problem for Nigeria comes from Cameroon, over the issue of the Bakassi Peninsula. It is likely that future developments in West Africa will remain key issues in Nigeria’s regional security politics, but problems will be solved diplomatically.
- Nigeria’s internal security problems lie in local conflicts rooted in religious riots, ethnic clashes and ‘cultism’. Defence expenditure has been facing problems of distribution, but it is likely that internal security issues will begin to attract greater financial attention.
A fundamental overhaul of how the military operates in a democracy is crucial. The future of good governance and reliable security-sector reform in Nigeria depends on a number of factors. These include:
- The creation of a revised constitution that addresses the complex nature of relations between the country’s different ethnic groups
- Fighting corruption
- The need for the military to respect civilian control
- The development of a credible and active civil society
- The participation of the wider international community and a serious commitment from the World Bank and Western governments to the economic development of the country.