Nigerian Government Responses to the Menace of Boko Haram and Nigeria’s Status in the Global Security Rankings (2009- 2019)

Abstract: Could the various responses cum efforts made by Nigerian government in recent years towards tackling her major security challenge (Boko Haram terrorism) be described as diverse hope of trepidation? Providing a logical answer to this fundamental question necessitated the need for this paper. Hinging on the foregoing, the paper examined the various efforts of Nigerian government towards combating Boko Haram menace in three (3) different regimes and the extent to which the responses have improved/shaped the status of Nigeria in the annual global security rankings. The paper is descriptive in typology and qualitative in orientation. Data gathered through documented evidence were solely utilized while Realist theory of International Relations by Hans Morgenthau was employed as a theoretical guide to explicate the link between the two variables. Based on findings, the study established that the various responses cum efforts made by Nigerian government and in conjunction with the International Community towards combating Boko Haram menace which was perceived by the researchers as the major security threat in the reviewed years were to no avail, as none of the responses has significantly improved the status of Nigeria in the global security rankings. It is on this basis that the paper recommended among others, the urgent need for Nigerian government to integrate its resources cum synergize militarily with the bordering countries towards fighting Boko Haram group out of their region rather than chasing them to one another’s bordering countries. More so, Nigerian government should securitize and control what goes into the internet concerning the security of the nation as this has become a major signal to the global community that the country is unsafe thereby contributed to its security status disrepute/poor rankings.

Keywords: Government responses; Boko Haram; Global security; Security Index; International Community.