A Proposal on Public Expenditure on National Security and Security Incidents in Nigeria
Chapter One
Objective of the study
The following objectives will be investigated to help in the study;
- To find out Government capital defence expenditure at time on national security
- To find out the recurrent defence expenditure at time on national security
- To find out the Foreign Direct Investment at time on national security
Chapter Two
Review of related literature
Conceptual framework
Public Expenditure
Public expenditure is spending made by the government of a country on collective needs and wants, such as pension, provisions, security, infrastructure, etc. Until the 19th century, public expenditure was limited as laissez faire philosophies believed that money left in private hands could bring better returns. In the 20th century, John Maynard Keynes argued the role of public expenditure in determining levels of income and distribution in the economy. Since then, government expenditures has shown an increasing trend. Sources of government revenue include taxes, and non-tax revenues
National security
According to Mesjaz (2014), the English word, “security” was derived from the Latin word “Securus”; “se” means without and “curus” means “uneasiness”. In other words, security means liberation from uneasiness or a peaceful situation without any risks or threats, to feel safe, to be protected. To the ordinary man/woman, security means safety or protection from harm and danger. Security is very important because as Zabach (2011) rightly observes, “unless one can be assured of his physical security, everything else will be meaningless. Imobighe (2001) also adds that without security individuals within a state will find it difficult to engage in productive activities. In the same vein, the state will encounter difficulty in harnessing its human development and the promotion of the general well-being of the people. According to Onovo (2009), every human being is always conscious of his or her security at any given time, and at all places, and that is why every government worth its salt all over the world makes security of lives and property within its territorial area of jurisdiction a priority agenda, just as it makes the survival, continuity, defense, and security of the state a primary goal. According to Bello (2017), the term national security lacks a specific definition but has been described as the concern of the government about the stability and safety of a state. This is in line with Nwohie (2011) quoting Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo that “the primary objectives of national security shall be to strengthen the federal republic of Nigeria, to advance her interests and objectives, to contain instability, control crime, eliminate corruption, enhance genuine development, progress, and growth, improve the welfare and well-being and quality of life of every citizen.
Review of Theoretical Literature
The Theory of Increasing State Activity
Wagner (1863) opined that causality or causal relationship exists between the growth of a nation and the growth of public spending. The theory states that there are inherent tendencies for the activities of government to grow intensively and extensively. Wagner (1863) observed a tendency for government spending to rise proportionately or directly with the level of industrial output in a country, hence the call for increased allowance of social consideration in the conduct of industrial activities as such is capable of causing an increasing expansion of the public sector. The increased tendency is attributed to social problems, population growth, rise in prices and national income, and urbanization as more social infrastructure is needed to cater for the consequences of the above-mentioned increase in social variables. Wagner’s theory has been criticized because it failed to take into consideration the influence of war on the composition of government spending Peacock (1961).
Peacock-Wiseman’s Theory
Based on their critical examination of the pattern of government spending in the United Kingdom from 1890 to 1955, Peacock (1961) reasoned that the increase in public sector spending does not increase or follow any smooth and continuous trend. According to Peacock (1961), an increase in public expenditure through time follows a stepwise fashion or occurs in sets of steps. They observed that citizens do not like to pay taxes, while the government is in a habit of spending more money, and resolved that the government should concentrate more on the wishes of their citizens.
Chapter Three
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work. The choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to public expenditure on national security and security incidents in Nigeria
Chapter Four
METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS
In order to ensure detailed analysis, the study will undertake a descriptive analysis of the variables of the model, this will be succeeded by the unit root test conducted using the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test, followed by a cointegration test carried out using the bound test. The ECM technique will be then employed, following the order of integration of the variables of the model, to estimate the short run behaviour of the variables.
References
- Adam, R. H. (2009). Security: A vital factor of development. Oxford University Press.
- Akpan, E. S., & Eweke, G. O. (2018). Security spending and public sector debt: Implication on Nigeria’s economy. Euro Economica, 37(3), 180-190.
- Akpakpan, D.E. (1987). Crossroads in Nigerian development and changes. New Generation Publishers.
- Apanisile, O.T., and Okunlola, O.C. (2014). Does military expenditure influence economic growth in Nigeria during 1989 – 2013? A bound test approach. Romanian Journal of Fiscal Policy, 5, 2(9); 56 – 71.
- Barton, G. (2019). National security is too important to be left abandoned to the politics of fear. The conversation Africa.
- Beijer, M. (2010). Economic and social rights and the prospects of conflict prevention and peace Building in Africa. J.A.L. 47.
- Bello, F. (2017) “Public policy implication on national security. June, 4, 2017. http://www.nialsnigeria.org/pub/.p.4.
- Claudia, A. (2010). Parameters of Nigeria’s defence policy in national interest. National Security and Defence Policy Revisited, Minna, Tradoc, 311-324
