POLITICAL DYNAMICS AND EMERGING SECURITY CONCERNS IN NIGERIA SINCE YEAR 2015 TILL DATE

Since the fresh hope of democracy was offered, it seems the optimistic people had been living in their own pool of imagination and hopelessness as democracy which is meant to engender security and development has failed to do so. The emerging security concerns and hullabaloos, especially, since 2015 suggest that the hope and optimism of the people has remained a mirage rather than expectation come true. Hence, this study examined and analyzed political dynamics and emerging security concerns in Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was used in the study. The population for the study comprises of 150 respondents domiciling in five major towns in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State, who were carefully selected among government/political office holders, government parastatals, stakeholders, security agents, and residents from the five major towns using simple random sampling technique. Five research questions were raised for the study. Findings revealed that ethnic and religious tensions were found to be significant factors raising security concerns in Nigeria, with a mean score of 3.33, indicating that Nigerians perceive insecurity as rooted in systemic, political, religious, and ethnic divisions. The study revealed a strong correlation between high unemployment rates and rising insecurity, with a weighted mean score of 2.83. Lack of industrialization was especially noted as a primary factor. Unemployment has severe consequences, leading to youth involvements in criminal activities, as shown by the mean score of 3.16 for that item. The overall weighted mean score of 2.94 supports this. Insecurity has far-reaching effects on all sectors, including education, agriculture, investment, and national development, with a high overall weighted mean of 3.25. The study concluded that insecurity in Nigeria is not a product of isolated events but a systemic issue rooted in governance failure, economic stagnation, ethnic and religious division, and institutional decay. Based on the findings, it was recommended that promoting national unity through constructive dialogue and improving educational curriculum to suit personal employment’s creation, social and political reforms geared towards promoting tolerance, civic responsibility, and inter-ethnic understanding as well as initiating national campaigns that foster constructive dialogue across ethnic and religious lines within the country are vital to solving security concerns in Nigeria.