Security and National Development in Nigeria: The Threat of Boko Haram
C. Jaja Nwanegbo, Jude Odigbo

Abstract
One of the major setbacks to development in Nigeria is insecurity. Until very recently, plethora of explanations on the crawling pace of development in Nigeria tends to pay infinitesimal attention to the centrality of security to national development. It is no surprise therefore that since 1999 when Nigeria returned to civil rule insecurity tends to have hampered national development. Security is evidently the pillar upon which every meaningful development could be achieved and sustained. The development strides in most Western Capitalist States that place premium on security lend credence to this assertion. Whilst Nigeria is endowed with abundant resources, negligence to numerous challenges of insecurity of the environment appears to have created porous security condition that engendered violence and retards development. This paper relies on sequential technique of qualitative analysis as it looks at the imminent security danger posed by Boko Haram in the light of the present onslaught and the extent the insurgence has shape development trajectories in Nigeria. It is the opinion of the paper that security avails the opportunity for development. The paper thus, concludes that Nigeria can achieve sustainable development only through firm prioritization of security in the development agenda.

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