Alvan Journal of Social Sciences (AJSS)

ISSN: 1595-5842 | E-ISSN: 3043-5463 | DOI Registered with Crossref | Google Indexed

A scholarly platform for interdisciplinary research in governance, procurement, sustainability, education, development studies, environmental management, logistics, and the wider social sciences.

← Volume 3, Issue 2 Contents

BALANCING NIGERIA’S SECURITY, ECONOMIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL PRIORITIES: TAKING ACTION

Okon Effiong Udoh; Chike Stephen Nwoko; Michael Asunomeh

Journal: Alvan Journal of Social Sciences
Volume/Issue: 3(2), 2026
Pages: 374-384
DOI: 10.67638/ajss-2026-v3-i2-030
Keywords: National security, environmental sustainability, insecurity, insurgency, rentier state
Corresponding author: Okon Effiong Udoh,
Email: drokon90@yahoo.com

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Abstract

Nigeria faces a complex governance dilemma in balancing national security imperatives, economic growth ambitions, and environmental sustainability. Persistent insecurity - including insurgency, kidnapping for ransom and banditry in the North-East, armed robbery and oil-related militancy in the Oil Rivers Region (Niger Delta States), farmer-herder conflicts in the Central Region of Nigeria, and agitation for independence status and unknown gun men palaver in the South East - continues to strain state capacity and divert public resources. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s heavy dependence on export of petroleum products constrains economic diversification and exacerbates environmental degradation, particularly in ecologically fragile regions. Climate change further intensifies vulnerabilities through desertification, flooding, food insecurity, and displacement of the population. This paper posits that sustainable development in Nigeria requires a strategic recalibration of national priorities that integrates security, economic, and environmental policies rather than treating them as competing domains. Drawing on the human security and sustainable development frameworks, the paper adopts a qualitative policy-analytical approach to examine the structural interconnections among insecurity, economic fragility, and environmental decline. The paper contends that environmental mismanagement fuels economic instability and violent conflict, while poor economic planning undermines environmental protection and social stability. The study proposes actionable reforms, including security sector restructuring, green economic diversification, climate-responsive governance, and institutional coordination mechanisms. Ultimately, achieving sustainable development in Nigeria demands moving from reactive crisis management to proactive, integrated policy action anchored in long-term national resilience. The paper concludes that balancing these priorities is not merely a developmental choice but a strategic necessity for Nigeria’s stability and global relevance in the twenty-first century.

Citation

Okon Effiong Udoh; Chike Stephen Nwoko; Michael Asunomeh (2026). BALANCING NIGERIA’S SECURITY, ECONOMIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL PRIORITIES: TAKING ACTION. Alvan Journal of Social Sciences, 3(2), 374-384. https://doi.org/10.67638/ajss-2026-v3-i2-030

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