From conceptual clarifications on security and conflict, it does not follow that when a country is secure, people are secure. The nexus between democracy and management of security relates to the whole dimension of human security and the provision of basic needs to the people. What then is information management?
There exists a welter of definitions on information management. Information management in the security realm entails the practice of collecting, monitoring and analysing security-related data. It describes controls that an organisation needs to implement in order to ensure that it is sensibly protecting the confidentiality, availability and integrity of assets such as citizens, data, borders, economy etcetera from threats and vulnerabilities.
Information management will require the use of technology-tangible and intangible, and human resources to identify, generate, process and store information for eventual retrieval and dissemination for use by individuals or groups who require such data for attaining their objectives. Information management will include profiling of perpetrators of crimes and criminalities on land, sea, and air. Crime against computers and information systems where the aim is to gain unauthorised access to a device or deny access to a legitimate user is called cybercrime.
Cybercrime is very common these days which threatens a person, a nation’s security and financial health. Internationally, both governmental and non-state actors engage in cybercrime. Cybercrime crossing international borders and involving the actions of at least one nation state is sometimes referred to as cyberwarfare.
Cybercrime is very common these days which threatens a person, a nation’s security and financial health. Internationally, both governmental and non-state actors engage in cybercrime. Cybercrime crossing international borders and involving the actions of at least one nation state is sometimes referred to as cyberwarfare
Brief analysis
Security in Nigeria has reached a critical stage with insurgency in the north east spreading rapidly to other parts of northern Nigeria. Similarly, there are communal clashes in the Middle Belt, kidnapping in the South-West, cultists and thugs having a field day in the South-South. In fact, the military has been over-stretched, with policing duties in 34 states of the country, and battle-fatigued after 10 years of armed conflict with Boko Haram in the north east.
Nigeria has been managing violence for several decades. Managing violence is very expensive. It is better to manage peace. What we are witnessing currently, is asymmetric warfare and the proliferation of small and light weapons is of concern. National security has been compromised by terrorist organisations operating within borders of countries in the Sahel region.
The security challenge has consumed the country’s lean resources to the extent that one of the daily newspapers reported that “FG’s declining military spending limits chances of defeating Boko Haram.” But in response, the FG says that “the great difference between 2015 and today is that we are meeting these challenges with much greater support to the security forces in terms of money, equipment and local intelligence.”
The battlefield has fundamentally shifted to the society. The country cannot fight asymmetric warfare perpetually as it will have a negative impact on development. There are conspiracy theories that some powerful people in the society are benefitting from the war on terror. If that was true, then there will be no end to the conflict.
The security situation appears to be pathological to an extent that a former Head of State, had to express his concern that “Nigeria is going through a period of trial amidst growing tension and resentment all over the country. There is anger in the land and voices of reason are drowning rapidly.” Some security experts say that there are wide variety of motivations for these threats ranging from economic to religious to conflict over resources.
Restoring peace in the country goes beyond using the military alone. The peace which we require as a country cannot be achieved by using the armed forces to compel the enemy to submit to our will as a nation. So, all components of national power, namely diplomacy, information and intelligence gathering, economic and military, must be brought to bear to end the war on terror.
Our policy makers must put more efforts to addressing refugee issues and funding of education in the north east to improve the welfare of children in the region. The growing and boundless threat in the north east requires better deterrent capabilities and far more developed defences.
Above all, good governance to our citizens is vital to lasting peace and security. We need to apply care and caution so that the nation is not left with a disaster of monumental dimension capable of rendering the West African sub-region unstable. The governments- states and federal-must not break laws in order to uphold it. Democracy can work better if there is adherence to the rule of law. While citizens must be law abiding and not take laws into their hands.
There are views in certain quarters that security challenges are further compounded by information gap which can only be addressed if the country continues unabated to fund intelligence organisations effectively. That is the price the country has to pay for insecurity. The intelligence community must engage experienced and seasoned experts to develop, and conduct detailed risk assessments, provide technical and procedural countermeasures and adequate force protection measures.
In conclusion, a democratic Nigeria is only an aspiration. An economically prosperous and democratising Nigeria are unquestionably the country’s hope of attaining security. Democracy is the only known means of checking the political nuisance embedded in the nature of our politics. If we are able to sustain democracy despite its flaws and weaknesses, then the very conditions responsible for the exclusion and marginalisation of large segments of the society will hopefully disappear with time.
Elder statesmen should not shy away from dialoguing in order to resolve the anger that seems to have permeated the country. The government’s conflict management decisions should be based on quality risk assessments and vulnerability assessments of events.
Finally, permit me to paraphrase a quote by saying that in moments of despair, in our search for solutions to the security challenges, the answer is not likely to come from logical thinking. Rather for salvation and rescue of our country, we have no choice but to resort to lateral thinking. Thank You. (Concluded)
MA JOHNSON
The original paper is slightly modified for this column. References are contained in the original paper presented at one of the breakout sessions of the 2019 Annual National Management Conference, Abuja.
