Security and the 2063 agenda for sustainable development in Africa: whither Nigeria?

Abstract

Globally, the successes of millennium development goals in a number of development areas have been acknowledged, especially as regards poverty reduction. However, there is a consensus that the millennium development agenda failed in a critical target of ensuring justice and security. Hence, the African Union grew in confidence to define its own development goal, by highlighting its vision of structural changes that are essential to achieving economic transformation, social protection, peace and security. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s initial concerns of achieving MDGs centred on tackling corruption, dwindling standard of education, low agricultural yields, and perennial epileptic power supply, were overtaken by the need to address the recurring spate of hapless killings among other violent crimes in different parts of the country. This paper examined Nigeria’s bid to meet with the goal of attaining sustainable peace and security as part of the 2063 Agenda for sustainable development in Africa. The study drew on literature on security and development as well as secondary data on security situation in Nigeria to make projections into Nigeria’s strategic positioning to realise the Agenda. It concluded that the challenges posed to sustainable development from a peace and security perspective will require a more nuanced approach that takes into account governance, rule of law and human rights compliance in security and justice sector institutions in a conflict, postconflict and peaceful Nigerian society.

Keywords: Millennium Development Goals, Security, Sustainable Development Goals