The Social Contract under Strain: A Hobbesian Analysis of Governance and Insecurity in Nigeria

Abstract

The primary goal of this study was to determine whether the Nigerian
government continues to uphold its "contract" with its people or whether
the pervasive insecurity indicates a breakdown in legitimacy and
authority. Thus, using the political theory of Thomas Hobbes (1588–
1679) and his notion of the social contract, the study investigates the
ongoing problem of insecurity in Nigeria through a Hobbesian lens.
Hobbes' argument revolves around the idea that people give up some
liberties to a sovereign authority in return for security, law and order.
The Nigerian experience, however, calls into doubt the sustainability of
this agreement in the face of pervasive violence, such as banditry,
terrorism, kidnapping, and inter-communal strife. This study examines
whether the Nigerian government has fulfilled its basic duty to ensure
the security of its people or whether the ongoing insecurity is an
indication that the government's legitimacy is in question. The study
investigates the degree to which citizens' trust in the state has declined,
resulting in the emergence of self-help mechanisms and non-state
security actors, through a qualitative analysis of existing literature,
policy papers, and security reports. It also examines how the state's
inability to operate as a Hobbesian Leviathan is caused by deficiencies
in governance, corruption, and institutional weakness. The paper
therefore, makes the case that a strained social contract is reflected in
the widening divide between the state and its people, which has
consequences for both national unity and political stability. In the end, it
recommends a reassessment of security strategies and governance
frameworks in order to rebuild public trust and reiterate the state's
fundamental responsibility as the guarantor of peace and security.