COMMUNITARIANISM AND THE RISE OF INSECURITY IN AFRICA (NIGERIA)

Abstract

As our world is fast becoming a global ‘one-village’, there are resounding ethical merits in embracing cosmopolitan sensibilities and allowing every human person the opportunity to exercise their rights of free movement. However, the nagging questions are, on what premise should the principles that regulate our national borders be hinged? Should the principles be more cosmopolitan, being in line with the global trend of the world becoming a one-village? On this note, humanity can be seen as a single ethical community belonging to a single polity. On the other hand, Should the principles be more responsive to the present threat of insecurity emanating from extremists’ ideologies? The desire to unleash terror and destroy the values of human communities is quite noticeable in the world today. This paper argues that from a communitarian world view, the present world order is constituted by an array of sovereign states whose responsibilities are limited to those who are members within their territories. Individuals belong to communities and the communities to which they belong have the special responsibility to care for them, because in communitarian terms ‘distributive justice presupposes a bounded world within which distribution takes place’. Governments of nations have a responsibility to protect those who are members, and must ensure that irrespective of the trend of globalization and trans-national migrations, those who are citizens must be protected and their security given assurance.