SUMMARY
This work has critically examined International Terrorism and its impact on Nigeria’s National security, and other aspects of the country. It has successfully narrated the history of terrorism in Nigeria, since the 1980s, and examined the effects they’ve had on both the government’s administration, and the nation’s economy. The work has also examined the response to the situation. This chapter provides the concluding part of the argument of the researcher and emphasizes vital recommendations for the Nigerian state and contributions of this work to scholarship.
Terrorism today is a global issue and challenge, its effects are not just felt in Nigeria alone, however the contention that this research holds against the Nigerian government, is its commitment to upholding moot policies towards the challenge. Being a major power in the continent of Africa, and considering its size and resources at its disposal, one would be right to think that the country has a matching intelligence system that can detect and prepare the nation against problems like terrorism, as this is the assumption of neighboring west African states, who have refused to lend the country during this perilous times. They rightly believed that Nigeria is big enough to help herself.
A holistic revision and redirection of the country’s counter-terrorism strategy, is highly imperative for Nigeria achieve genuine and effective result in her fight against terrorism, and thus regaining her place in the international system. The National intelligence Agency must be reviewed and improved on, so as to tackle threats from the start, before they grow into organizations like Boko Haram. This should be regarded as paramount in the nation’s scale of preference and should be treated, even if it means cooperating with other states to achieve this.
Also the value of life in the nation ought not to be treated so cheaply by the authorities as it is today, a group like the rising “Fulani Herdsmen” which has taken the lives of over 500 people in the country should ideally have been declared ‘Terrorist’ and hunted down by the government, but this is not the case, as tribalism and nepotism takes preeminence over the value of lives of Nigerians, the Fulani Herdsmen over time, would translate the government’s neglect over the killings as approval, thus leading to more killings and eventually an unprecedented growth, that can no longer be easily quelled.
