Dissecting the Nexus between Sustainable counter insurgency and Sustainable Development Goals: Putting Nigeria in the Context

The major objective of the United Nations organization is to foster world peace and security. Asides this, the global body is also concerned with the creation of the enabling environment which will guarantee international socio-economic prosperity for all humans. Hence, the UNO developed the Sustainable Development Goals in September 2015. The agenda was meant to put the whole world on a more prosperous and sustainable path so as to make positive changes for both people and the planet. However, a perennial threat to the realization of this goal in the developing countries, and in Nigeria particularly, is the scourge of insurgency which has grown significantly in sophistication. The continuous terror attacks by Boko Haram insurgent group in Nigerian only confirms the ineffectiveness of the counter-insurgency strategy being used by the government. The research discovered that Boko Haram incessant terror strike shave been threatening almost all the basic issues that constitute the SDGs such as eradication of poverty and hunger, good health, quality education, clean water and sanitation and economic growth among others and made their achievement a mere illusion. Hence, the research proposed that in addition to military approach, a comprehensive strategy such as; addressing the conditions that gave rise to insurgency, application of intelligence, good governance and international cooperation would be required to guarantee sustainable counter-insurgency and pave the way for the achievement of the SDGs in Nigeria. The study adopted analytical and descriptive research design for data collection and analysis.