Toward sustainable energy security and socio-economic betterment of Nigerians : focus on challenges and prospects of nation-building

• Published in: Journal of Nation-Building and Policy Studies 2019-12, Vol.3 (2), p.5-23
• Main Authors: Amamkpa, Anthony Williams, Ani, Kelechi Johnmary, Okudolo, Ikemefuna Taire Paul
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Citizens; Closure; Cost of living; Crude oil; Development; Energy; Energy development; Energy security; Governance; Humanization; Insecurity; Militancy; Nation building; National security; Oil politics; Oil producing community; Openness; Participatory governance; Petroleum; Political change; Politics; Prospects; Public opinion; Reforms; Social exclusion; Socioeconomic factors; Sociopolitical factors; Standard of living; Transparency
• ISSN: 2516-3124; 2516-3132
• DOI: 10.31920/2516-3132/2019/3n2a1

Historical conjecture from literature shows that the energy security discourse speaks predominantly about crude oil. Meanwhile, Nigeria is no doubt an oil revenue dependent economy. The socio-political and economic landscape is principally shaped by her oil economy. By implication, politics and governance play crucial roles in Nigeria,s energy security to hopefully produce favourable cost and optimum standard of living to citizens. Hence, an excursion into the best way to entrench energy security in order to deepen nation-building in Nigeria and development is without objection a worthy venture. This is exactly what the paper interrogates, which is to examine the inherent contradictions to oil security of Nigeria which derives from politics and governance that undermines nation-building and development. The paper also suggests policy directions and socio-political reforms that will alleviate negations to humanization that ought to flow from Nigeria's petroleum sector. Guided by Frank Parkin's and the World Bank's social closure and state capture theories respectively, the paper finds in particular that oil politics and governance overtime have not produced antinomies to energy insecurity in Nigeria. This reality derives from the experiences of the Niger Delta militancy, mutual ethnic suspicion in oil sector public appointments and the near absence of public confidence in oil public policies. It concludes that the major path to achieve energy security in Nigeria is to advance participatory governance, thus recommending a governance paradigm which highly incorporates openness, equity and transparency in the government-citizens' relations, particularly with the aspirations of oil producing communities.