Increasing Incidence of Insecurity in Nigeria: Towards a Social Work Approach (KEY IJP************991)

• Kenechukwu Nwakego Anugwom

Abstract

Against the backdrop of increasing insecurity in Nigeria, the paper depending on documentary sources of data interrogated the potential role and place of social work in security. While the traditionalist view of security which is essentially state-centric has held sway for decades, the current upsurge in intrastate threats to security recommends a rethink. Thus, security now emerges as a field where concerted and multidisciplinary effort is needed. Social workers even though not trained in security could function in this area as part of the concerted effort to tackle the problem of insecurity in Nigeria. While the paper identifies specific challenges for a security social work ranging from disciplinary orientation to paucity of needed skills, it equally unravels opportunities for deepening the relevance of the discipline and developing new practice niches in security. It, therefore, argued for the expansion and opening of the security space to accommodate social workers who can play significant roles not only in managing the trauma associated with insecurity but also in situating security within a social security paradigm that responds to the realities of today.