BALANCING PEACE-BUILDING STRATEGIES IN NIGERIA: APPRAISING THE IMPACT OF THE RULE OF LAW VS MILITARY SPENDING

Abstract

The drive for peace in any country is and has been a cardinal policy of the country’s government. In recent years, Nigeria has faced a myriad of security challenges which has necessitated its policy managers to increase the country’s military expenditure while also strengthening its rule of law. This work unveils the impact of the rule of law versus military expenditure on Nigeria’s peace-building experience. The fully modified OLS technique is used in analyzing the data collected. Data for the study were collected from the CBN statistical bulletin, World Justice Project data-base and the World development indicator data-base. The data covered the period from 2006 to 2023. The findings from the analysis indicates that both the rule of law and military spending impact positively on peace-building in Nigeria, however, the rule of law has more impact on peace-building than increased military spending. It is recommended that Nigeria’s rule of law should be strengthened. However, an effort to strengthen the rule of law coupled with responsible military spending is required to create a comprehensive framework for peace-building. It is further recommended that policy makers should adopt a coordinated approach that aligns security spending, legal reform, and social investment strategies in peace-building. Finally regular assessment of peace indices and related variables should be undertaken to guide policy adjustments.