Conscientious leadership and management of security votes in Nigeria

Nigeria has been bedevilled with serious terrorist attacks, kidnappings, cybercrimes and a series of security challenges for over a decade. The Nigerian constitution makes provision for the allocation of state resources for the good and welfare of the citizens. The constitution also vests powers on the President and Governors to make judicious use of these state resources. One of these powers is the management of huge sums received by heads of the executive arm of government under the guise of security. A leader must lead the people in good conscience. This paper examined conscientious leadership challenges in managing security votes in Nigeria. The paper examined the reasons for the failure of successive governments in Nigeria to provide security for the citizens. The paper examined jurisdictions such as South Africa and Libya and drew lessons for Nigeria to adopt in finding a lasting solution to its current insecurity. The paper adopted the doctrinal methodology and suggested how to tackle the menace of insecurity. The paper finds that it is not the absence of laws but the political will to comply with the mandatory constitutional provision that would help resolve the insecurity challenges, among others.