Human Security in the Northeast Nigeria: Some Conceptual Reflection

Abstract

This paper explores the utility of the human security concept to aid the understanding of why insecurity persists in Nigeria. Its literature review tracks how the concept of security has shifted from military state-centric approaches to human-centered conceptions that emphasize the importance of understanding how socio-economic development, environmental, cultural, and historical factors are critical in causing and perpetuating conflict. In this context, a sustainable livelihoods framework is proposed for testing the human security approach in the context of the northeast region of Nigeria considering the unsustainability of the existing military intervention and the inappropriateness of others (e.g., resource curse) that are commonly associated with conflicts in other parts of Nigeria.