National Security and Sustainable Economic Development in Nigeria since 1999: Implication for the Vision 20:2020

Global terrorism constitutes a veritable threat to international peace and security. On the other hand, Nigeria has witnessed sustained attacks through militancy and other forms of insurgency orchestrated by different groups since the inception of the 4th Republic in 1999. The operations of these armed groups with varying and conflictual ideological, political and ethno-religious agenda have become ominous to Nigeria’s quest of joining the league of the 20 largest economies in the world by 2020 as encapsulated in the Vision 20:2020 Economic Transformation Blueprint. This paper, therefore, examines the implication of militancy on the actualisation of the Vision 20:2020. Using the Radical Approach to National Security, the paper concludes that the answer to the national security question, sustainable economic development and the Vision 20:2020 is hinged on the welfare and security of the people. The paper recommends the formulation and effective implementation of populist policies and programmes capable of addressing the underlying causes of insurgency in Nigeria. These would invariably place Nigeria on the path of sustainable economic development thereby boosting its prospect of actualizing the Vision 20:2020. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n5p12