IMPACT OF BOKO HARAM TERRORISM ON FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN NIGERIA: AN APPRAISAL . 2002-2015

SOURCE:

Faculty: Social Sciences
Department: Political Science

CONTRIBUTORS:

Joe-Akunne, I. G.
Oddih, M. C.

ABSTRACT:

The study appraised the impacts of Boko Haram Terrorism on the flow of foreign direct investment in Nigeria. The researcher used an Ex-Post Facto Research design which adopted a documentary research and in-depth interview to collect data on the impact of Boko Haram terrorist activities on Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 4 out of the 19 Investment Sectors. Four informants in the sector were interviewed. The study adopted content analysis and descriptive statistical tools for data analysis while presentation was done in textual, chart, tabular and pictorial forms. Secondary sources of data collection where employed to generate the required data mainly from Textbooks, journals, articles, internet materials, video tapes and interviews. The work adopted the Marxian theory on Capital Accumulation and Relative Deprivation Theory of Ted Gurr as platforms to build a treatise to explain the rise of Boko Haram Terrorism and the flow of Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria. The researcher found that the nature and character of terrorism in Nigeria was multidimensional. Frequency in percentage result showed methods deployed such as Bombing 36.1%, Armed attacks 20.7%, Assassinations/Murder/Beheading 13.8%, Abduction/Kidnapping 7.5%, Mass Murder/Suicide Raid 11.1% and Jail Breaks 3.7%. The activities of Boko Haram Sect as a terrorist group results showed have contributed significantly to the decline of Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria. As at 2015, total capital imported into Nigeria stood at $9.6 billion, the lowest recorded since 2011. It represents a 53% drop from the $20.7 billion recorded in 2014. Investments have moved to other West African Countries particularly Ghana whose rank on Global Peace index is 50th while Nigeria ranked 146th. Finally it was found out that the Government’s efforts at curbing the activities of Boko Haram have not yielded significant results due to government’s insincerity in tackling the root cause of terrorism. Consequently, the study recommended that government should be sincere and intensify its counter terrorism fight against the insurgents, upgrade the equipment of the military and other security agencies to effectively and decisively defeat the terrorists. This however, will yield expected the result and will definitely create an atmosphere of relative peace which will propel investors to import/retain their capital in Nigeria.