Introduction

Nigeria is an endowed country in both human and natural resources and it has the goal of being one of the well developed nations in the world and a leading nation in Africa by the year 2020. For this purpose, Nigeria devoted in the process of exploiting and improving its resources and attraction of its citizens and foreign nationals to invest within the economy. Nigeria is an Africa’s largest country in terms of population of almost 200 million people and the second largest economy after South Africa with GDP of US$ 415 billion, it is the highest producer of oil in the whole of Africa and six in OPEC. Nigeria is blessed in terms of oil resources and large number of mineral products. It has fertile land for agricultural potentials, but still an importer of food to feed its citizens (ADB, 2012). As a result of all these resources of human and mineral, Nigeria challenges many problems of poverty, poor health care delivery system, pipe-borne water, joblessness, poor education and other issues that include armed robbery, kidnapping, ethnic crisis, assassination, militancy, terrorism and recently the insurgency of Boko Haram. It is the most problematic issue that threats economic, political and social development of the country. In reality, whatever Boko Haram did or claimed to do is contrary to Islamic teaching of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him).
Lots of Islamic scholars both locally and internationally confronted what Boko Haram is doing. Many scholars sees Boko Haram as a terrorist group which tarnishes the image of Islam and Muslims, it is being sponsored and controlled by other foreign personnel. Not less than 250 individuals have since been reported dead in the January 20, 2012 bomb incident in Kano and clear indications are that every plan for peace to be restored in the Islamic fundamentalists are inadequate or ineffectual, or both. From the reports, multiple explosives occurred one after the other in Kano, in the frequent manners of similar attacks by the members of Boko Haram sect in Maiduguri, Damaturu, Potiskum, Gombe, Abuja, and Madalla in Niger State. It is axiomatic to assert that there is a major consensus of opinion that government must find a fast-fix solution to the problem, and then a steady solution. This is because there is no way government will continue to spend the huge chunk of money it had been spending on security without providing security to Nigerians. Some Nigerians and groups have been so incensed with the rising insecurity in the polity that they are calling for Jonathan’s resignation.
There is usually the belief that such calls will proceed to rise until there is visible improvement in the sustenance of security in the country, as there is a rising impatience among the residents. If a fast action is not taken on this matter, other sect could rise making it impracticable to make peace any longer. The bad trend in insecurity came with emergence of Boko Haram, the Muslim fundamentalist sect, bomb blowing everything within reach. It had no issues eliminating innocent people, even women and children who had no connection to what it is fighting about. It is also visible that, the activities of Boko Haram have affected the postings of students of Southern extraction on national youth service to the north. Parents are strongly rejecting the posting of their graduates as corpers to the north. This, in itself is a heavy blow to the noble objective of the scheme which is unity. The Presidential assurances so far is not helping at all; because all that Nigerians observe are deadlier attacks by Boko Haram after the president had assured that perpetrators of previous attacks would be arrested and prosecuted. It does the government no credit to learn that arrested members of the sect escaped or set freed by the challenges and the best the President will do is throw his hands up in frustration, lamenting that the sect has infiltrated even his security agencies. Development is the preoccupation of every political system and political leadership. In the same vein, “violence and instability are not known to be catalysts for economic development” (Msue, 2013). Therefore, it is only in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility that the individual can progress and indeed country can achieve national development. Since economic activities only excel in a peaceful environment, security, hence, is sine qua non to economic development. Lack of security of life and property, which is the tool of national progress, is common in Africa and Nigeria. Whereas the “State is instituted by way of solution for the inconvenience of state of nature to avert a state of war. (It is) created in order that life, liberty and property may be preserved” (Appadorai, 2011), the Nigerian State, however, seem to have failed in fulfilling one of the fundamental functions of a state, which is to provide adequate security for the citizens. Nigerians feel unsecured, unable to go about their economic activities due to the insurgency of the Boko Haram sect. The rising wave of wicked activities of Boko Haram has put Nigeria in the global glare of publicity as being terrorist haven. Hence the study examines Boko Haram insurgency and economic development in Nigeria, case study of Borno 2015 – 2019.

Statement of the Problem

Indeed, the unity of Nigeria is seriously threatened by Boko Haram. However, the reality of this threat is worsen and manifested in the statements credited to some well placed northern Nigerians that no military action should be taken against the group. Rather than condemn this crime of Boko Haram against the Nigerian state and her people, these Northern Nigerians of Islamic faith are demanding for dialogue and amnesty for this fundamentalist sect. Boko Haram is a terrorist organization which caused the loss of lives and properties in northern Nigeria, while others considered it as insurgent group financed by foreign nationals to spoil the image of Islam and Muslims. There are causes and factors that impacted negatively on Nigerian economic development. Therefore, this study examines Boko Haram insurgency and economic development in Nigeria

Aims of the study

The major aim of the study is to examine Boko Haram insurgency and economic development in Nigeria, case study of Borno 2015 - 2019. Other specific objectives of the study include;
1. To examine the emergence of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria.
2. To examine the incidence of Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria.
3. To examine the impact of Boko Haram insurgency on economic development in Nigeria
4. To examine the economic effect of Boko Haram.
5. To examine the relationship between Boko Haram insurgency and economic development in Nigeria.
6. To examine the effect of Boko Haram on the economic activities in Nigeria

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