Border Management in Nigeria and National Security: Challenges and Prospects
Introduction
For the Nigerian policy makers, the effective and integrated border management and its services are bound to be critical in ensuring the safety and security of the citizens, promoting the regional stability, and facilitating the trade and development. This can be only achieved through the efforts to diminish the challenges in the national security. The need of the country for the international security has developed along with the continuous development in the global economy. Every country is facing the challenges in terms of the security and development.
What is Border Management?
The precise meaning that is accepted in the administration of the border management is typically concerns in the borders of the country. The border management is related to the rules, techniques, and activities involves in the regulation of the areas or zones. The borders are diverse and ranging from those of the thousands of people and tons of daily freight and the isolation of the freight products. The border management is part of the national security of the country against the external threats that are prevailing outside the borders of the country. Since, the border management is an approach of the Nigeria’s national security; it also possesses a different kind of challenge that may strike between the illegal entry and legal trade and labor (Mackay, 2008). Through the initiatives of the policy makers, all of the projects are strengthened and with the matter of the political, economic, and social spheres. In the international relations today, different countries had been developing a growing economic order and that are interconnected in the issue of the international security of the management of borders (Kherbi, 2007).
The Need for National Security
Based on the series and assumed threats and challenges, there were present responsible personnel in managing the security. First, the border guards were hired under the authority of a civilian or paramilitary law enforcement service and they are the one being responsible in the prevention of unlawful cross-border activities, detection of the national security threats through they use of surveillance and control facilities that was designated in different border crossing points. Second, the immigrations services are responsible in enforcing the entry and exit restrictions, as well as ensuring the legality of the travel documents, investigating the related criminal records of the people, and providing the need for protection and security assistance. Lastly, the customs and revenue or excise service is a kind of fiscal service that was assigned to regulate the movement of the goods across the borders. The usual function of the service is to facilitate the trade while enforcing the national restrictions in the entry and exit of goods through the implementation of the tariffs, taxations, and protecting the health of the people, animals, and plants (Mackay, 2008).
Common Challenges
The Nigerian policy makers and leaders should recognize the common challenges in their implementation of border management. Most of the less-developed and developing countries exhibit the weakness in terms of their security and through the identification of the challenges, the weakness of the country to provide specific security in their border can be minimized (Kherbi, 2007). There are five common challenges that the Nigerian policy makers should tackle. First is the problem on the long and unpatrolled boundaries that are popular for the human and vehicular traffic. Second is the criminal activity that happens mostly on the border areas such as prostitution, human trafficking, human smuggling and terrorism. Third is the biggest problem of the government which is the corruption that commonly in the areas of immigration and customs. Fourth is the public mistrust of the border services and lastly is the social and economic marginalization of the border areas (Mackay, 2008).
Further Discussion
Most common form of the challenges in the security is the growing global threats and military antagonism. Due to the further cooperation and efforts of the alliances in Nigeria, the ongoing development for the national security is increasingly affecting the national policy (Kherbi, 2007). The national security and border management is important in Nigeria most especially of the country’s attributes as the largest oil producer. Therefore, the continuous training of the personnel involved in the security and the different movement that aims to protect the boundaries should be created and be part of the country’s strategy (Lubeck, Watts, and Lipschutz, 2007).
Conclusion
The Nigerian policy makers and other government officials should provide appropriate law that can monitor the threats in their boundaries as well as minimizing the threats in their internal system. The developing country needs to use all of the social and economic strengths to provide the national security in their boundaries.
References:
Kherbi, A., (2007) “Development’s Security: A New Perspective on International Security”. Harvard International Review, Vol. 29, No. 3.
Lubeck, P., Watts, M., & Lipschutz, R., (2000) “Convergent Interest: U.S. Energy Security and the “Securing” of Nigerian Democracy”, International Policy Report. Accessed 16 Feb 2010, from http://www.ciponline.org/NIGERIA_FINAL.pdf
Mackay, A., (2008). “Border Management and Gender”, Gender and Security Sector Reform Toolkit, Geneva. Accessed 16 Feb 2010, from http://www.un-instraw.org/en/library/gender-peace-and-security/ssr-toolkit-border-management-and-gender/view-2.html
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