The Role of Security Education in Promoting National Security in Nigeria: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities

Abstract

This study examines the pivotal role of security education in promoting sustainable national security in Nigeria, moving beyond reliance on traditional kinetic responses. It posits that security education, anchored in civic values, peacebuilding, and vigilance, is a vital, non-kinetic strategy for fostering citizen resilience and preventing threats like radicalisation, banditry, and communal violence. The research employs a qualitative, analytical design, underpinned by Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (SLT), to review trends, challenges, and opportunities from credible secondary sources. The analysis reveals positive trends toward curriculum integration (e.g., JSS Security Education) and the professionalisation of security studies (e.g., NDA's B.Sc. in Intelligence and Security Science, NDA, 2025). However, these advances are critically undermined by major challenges: poor curriculum implementation due to untrained teachers, widespread corruption and weak governance, and the fundamental contradiction of insecurity in learning environments. The findings conclude that security education is an underutilized strategic tool whose effectiveness is hampered by systemic funding deficits and implementation failures. To address this, opportunities must be leveraged, including technology for mass outreach, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), and integrating early-warning systems into school infrastructure. The study recommends implementing a fully funded, mandatory National Security Literacy Programme to build a proactive, security-conscious citizenry.