Review Article, J Def Stud Resour Manage Vol: 13 Issue: 1

Socio-Economic and Educational Impacts of Insurgency in Nigeria

Shamsudden Abdullahi^*

Department of Ecology and Environment Studies, Nalanda University, Pilkhi, India

*Corresponding Author:

Shamsudden Abdullahi
Department of Ecology and Environment Studies, Nalanda University, Pilkhi, India
E-mail:Shamsuddenabdullahi495@gmail.com

Received date: 21 October, 2024, Manuscript No. JDSRM-24-150595; Editor assigned date: 23 October, 2024, PreQC No. JDSRM-24-150595 (PQ); Reviewed date: 06 November, 2024, QC No. JDSRM-24-150595; Revised date: 11 March, 2025, Manuscript No. JDSRM-24-150595 (R); Published date: 18 March, 2025, DOI: 10.4172/2324-9315.1000164.

Citation: Abdullahi S (2025) Socio-Economic and Educational Impacts of Insurgency in Nigeria. J Def Stud Resour Manage 13:1.

Abstract

Keywords: Insurgency, Impacts, Socio-economic, Education, Economy

Introduction

The best way to understand the concept of insurgency is to define security, which Achumba and Ighomenho defined in Akin as the state that results from the implementation of measures for the protection of people, information, and property against hostile people, influence, and actions. According to Ogunleye et al., it is a measure intended to safeguard citizens, individual and collective resources, enterprises, and the environment against acts of violence or sabotage. Conversely, according to O'Neal, insurgency is defined as organized movements that utilize armed confrontation and supervision to overthrow a legitimate government. Since many insurgent groups utilize terrorism as a weapon to achieve their goals, the term "insurgency" is frequently used to refer to a broader range of low-intention combat and is closely associated with terrorism.

In Nigerian society today, insurgency has become a brutal reality in recent years. It has taken many different forms, including kidnapping, suicide assaults, self-suicide bombings, corruption, armed robberies, and more. The Nigerian government has attempted to use a counterinsurgent force as policy deterrence, along with the imposition of sanctions, to curb actual attempts by putting appropriate measures in place to reduce the menaces of insurgents in the country [1]. Numerous attempts have been made to lessen the impact of these insurgencies on the country's economy. Nigeria continually ranks low in the Global Peace Index, indicating a worsening of the country's level of insecurity, despite these efforts.

Nigeria is on a terrible precipice. If the nation is unable to overcome its present issues, observers and anyone with any interest in it must be extremely concerned about the consequences. The nation is currently plagued by a complex combination of social, political, ethnic, legal, and constitutional issues that have never been seen in the volatile and turbulent history of this potentially great country. Terrorist campaigns with all the characteristics of an insurgency are currently on the rise.

In Katsina state in August, bandit terrorists have turned many people in to slaves according to Dr. Bashir Kurfi, an elder and community leader. He told BBC Hausa that gangs have occupied peoplesâ?? homes in many villages, where they force the owners to live in makeshifts and work on farms taken over by the bandits to produce food for the terrorists. At the same time, they are serially raping women and girls, including married women. He said parents and husbands are forced him to their daughters and wives to bandit who rape for one week before sending them back home. Dr. Kurfi cited one incident that he witnessed in which 40 bandits gang-raped nine women for a whole night. He took the victims to the Federal Medical Centre. When doctors at the FMC checked the victims, they advised that they should be taken to a urology hospital because the damage done was beyond the capacity of an FMC.

Figure 1: Picture of kidnapped victims held in captivity along Abuja to Kaduna train railway in May/June 2020.

Literature Review

Significance of the study

This study would help in understanding how insurgency became a weapon that is used to destroy not only the physical settings of a society, the economy and education but also the plan of investment a society made on its self, in order to achieve better standard of living in the future. The study would also help the government to understand the processes of curbing the issue of insurgency and the gross menace associated with it.

Scope of the study

The field of study was restricted to Nigeria only. Due to the mass land and population of Nigeria, the great country was divided to six different geographical regions which are: North-east region, Northwest region, North-central region, South-east region, South-west region and south-south region respectively.

Data collection

In the process of collecting and gathering data purposely for this research, secondary source of information was used in the study.

Impacts of insurgency in Nigeria

Since after the days of the colonial masters in Nigeria, gross multidimensional series forms of insurgencies had been in occurrence till date. Boko Haram insurgencies, political violence, corruption, nepotism, tribalism, indiscipline, kidnappings and abductions, armed robberies, murder and extortion, bombings of places of worship, and attacks on innocent Nigerians are all signs of a failing state. M. O. Mukolu et al., has the view that â??Religion may well add to the unending list of Nigeriaâ??s woes, as it appears to dominate the essential character of the current campaign of insurgency [2]. Ironically, it could well portend a catastrophe, if not properly managed alongside other instruments of state policyâ?.

Frustration-violence theory: According to this theory, which was put forth by Fererabend and Feirauben in 1972, an individual's failure to achieve their goals causes frustration, which in turn leads to violence. Therefore, aggressive conduct that arises from problems like unemployment and poverty, among others, is what leads to insurgency. According to the report, the country's insurgency has led to extreme poverty, unemployment, injustice, environmental degradation, a lack of infrastructure, ethnic disputes, and militancy.

Insurgency in Nigeria has diverse negative impacts on various disciplines. The different sectors include; impacts on socio-economic, impacts on education, impacts on religion, impacts on culture, impacts on ecosystem, impacts on agriculture, and impacts on political activities etc. However, for the purpose of this article, much emphasis would be put on socio-economic and educational impacts of insurgencies [3,4].

Socio-economic impacts of insurgencies

The factors that influence growth but over which the economy has little indirect control are referred to as the insurgent environment of the Nigerian economy. According to M. O. Mukolu et al., the factors in Nigeria include theft, armed robbery, kidnapping, assassination, unemployment, high living expenses, and more. In terms of the economy, corruption and insurgency promote capital flight because many foreign investors are hesitant to make investments in Nigeria out of concern that they may lose their money to scammers and con artists. Numerous businesses have ceased operations and properties valued at billions of naira have been destroyed in various parts of the nation.

According to Chalk Byran, et al., certain circumstances can turn a population's unhappy future into an insurgency; people rebel because the government (or occupying power) refuses to address their legitimate needs; the absence of government or occupying power and control can be real or perceived [5]. The media is frequently used by insurgencies to portray the government as unprepared or unresponsive. Terrorism has become a popular tool for insurgents because corrupt and ineffective governments are unable to provide basic services, create jobs, promote growth, or improve the lives of the general public. The government's failure to protect its citizens and put an end to the insurgents is frequently reported in the international press, serving as a daily reminder of the lack of government control.

An insurrection or rebellion may cause the future workforce to decline and eventually disappear, leaving a gap in the country's economic future and endangering the nation's ability to continue its economic operations. In the long term, this could result in child slavery since there may be fewer people to handle the upcoming financial difficulties and they might not be able to advocate for the demands of the economy. In addition to impeding development, an insurgency undermines Nigeria's existing economic value systems [6,7]. The devastating impact of Nigeria's ongoing insurgency has gotten worse, which is concerning because numerous attempts to stop the threat have failed. Therefore, Achebe's conclusion that insurgency has permeated African society is not an understatement. Anyone who can claim that insurgency in Africa has not yet become alarming is either a fool or a crook, or they do not reside on this continent.

Marx's theory of Rebellion: According to this theory, which was first put forth by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels in 1969, as the number of capital magnates who usurp and monopolize all the benefits of this process of transformation continues to decline, the mass of misery, oppression, exploitation, and degradation increases, so does the revolt of the working class, a class that is constantly growing in number and is disciplined, unified, and organized by the very mechanism of capitalist production itself. The mode of production, which has emerged and prospered alongside and beneath it, is constrained by the monopoly of capital. The socialization of labor and the centralization of the means of production will eventually reach a point where they are irreconcilable with their capitalist framework. As a result, integument shatters, and the sound of capitalist private property is heard.

The relevant problem of insecurity in Nigeria and its consequences for socioeconomic development were studied by Olabanji and Ese. They suggested that the government take a proactive approach to addressing security threats and issues by using cutting-edge techniques for intelligence collection and sharing among security personnel, trading, logistics, motivation, and the application of cutting-edge technology.

Adebanjoko and Okorie evaluated the political and economic ramifications of Nigeria's corruption and insecurity issues. According to the findings, corruption is a major contributing factor to insurgency in the nation. As a result, it is recommended that the Nigerian government prioritize eradicating corruption as part of its reform program while also seeking long-term solutions to the country's problems.

Garba examined the long-term financial effects of insurgency on economic growth in a study of the city of Zaria. The results showed that each revolt has an impact on an economy's socioeconomic operations, impeding its advancement. Therefore, it is advised that luxurious social amenities be built to provide economic chances to the growing population.

Discussion

Impacts of insurgency on education in Nigeria

Insurgency in Nigeria has been identified as one of the factors that facilitated various levels of destructions of many economic activities, including educational infrastructure in most locations in northern Nigeria and some part of southern. According to Odinkalu the closing down of schools have far reaching consequences, including ending the education of many students and the opportunity to get to high education. According to an official of education ministry, 85 schools were closed down, affecting about 120,000 students after a frequent attack by Islamic militants in areas which has the countryâ??s most illiteracy rate, and more than 200 school girls were kidnapped on the night of April, 2014 [8]. From the beginning of 2012, about 70 teachers and more than 1000 schoolâ??s children have been killed while some were wounded; 50 schools were burnt and more than 60 others have been forced to close. Many children were forced out of school across communities in Yobe, Kaduna, katsina, Adamawa and Borno states. Many teachers were forced to migrate to other locations for safety.

Education in Nigeria, especially North-eastern section of the country is confronted with the issues of Boko Haram insurgency, kidnappings, bandits, and gunmen political thugsâ?? etc. This is due to the fact that the insurgency caused numerous schools to be destroyed, forcing the impacted states to temporarily close their educational institutions. Low school enrollment, particularly for girls, and a high number of out-of-school children are two ways it has impacted education in the country's Northeastern, Northwestern, North central, and certain Southern states. Research conducted in Nigeria has shown that insurgency has a detrimental impact on education and its stakeholders [9]. According to Abdullahi, Atsua, Amuda, and Habu, there has been a low level of school attendance during the crisis. Mohammed investigated how insurgency affected girls' schooling in northeastern Nigeria. Thirty teachers from each of the six (6) states that comprised Nigeria's northeastern area comprised the study's sample of 180 primary and secondary school instructors.

A 20-item questionnaire was used as the data collecting method, and the results were translated to mean and standard deviation. The report suggested that the Nigerian government provide free and mandatory education for girls at all educational levels. A greater commitment to activating the armed forces to put an end to the insurgency in the northeastern region and ensure sufficient security in schools was also suggested. The results showed that the insurgency had a detrimental impact on females' education in northeastern Nigeria because the female students were frightened to attend school after being injured in front of other pupils during an attack.

Conclusion and Recommendation

For many decades, insurgency had become a driving factor in destabilization of Nigerian economy which subsequently resulted in total reduction of the growth domestic products and skyrocket of price i.e., inflation of price in food stuff, fuel price and scarcity, famine etc. it clearly also affected the social wellbeing of the citizens negatively. Some natives deserted their community unwillingly due high level of insurgency in the area. Educational level and standard consequently had been marred. Hundreds of innocent children and women have no or poor access to education increasing the number of illiterates in society which directly or indirectly forced some to engage in criminal activities. Government needs to intervene and provide adequate learning facilities and overcome the issue of insecurity which is the main cause. If we are to overcome the situation, the following recommendations are made:

â?¢ Proactive measures should be put in place to tackle the menace of insurgency both tactically and institutionallyâ?? The military must be strengthened. â?¢ Government should provide free education and make it mandatory to each and every. â?¢ citizen. This will help in limiting the level of illiteracy among citizens. â?¢ Government should provide Price control measures in economic sector. This will reduce high cost of living and promote social status. â?¢ Reviving and provision of adequate learning infrastructures in schools. â?¢ Government should provide appropriate measures in enlighten the masses (Mass education) about the predicaments associated with acts of kidnappings, banditry, rubbery, thuggery etc. especially to the youths.

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