LE FRANCAIS ET (L’) INSECURITE AU NIGERIA : GARES AUX LACUNES !

Abstract

Arms and ammunitions are the conventional and overt weapons used in combat. The planning and execution of successful military campaigns however also depend to a large extent on the use of covert strategies which include intelligence gathering and processing. Nigeria has been battling (in) security challenges for years. Some of the security threats are alleged to emanate from outside the country. In the light of these realities, an investigation was initiated to ascertain the availability of French language experts in selected security institutions in Kaduna and Zaria whose role is to identify and track the movement of foreign nationals in the country. Using a survey, questionnaires were prepared and distributed to senior officials of the targeted institutions. Analyses of the questionnaires revealed that none of the eight military and paramilitary institutions visited had a French language expert among her staff. The implication of these findings is that despite the prevailing insecurity caused by uncontrolled movement of people across porous borders, it is worrisome to still find security lapses arising from lack of foreign language competence especially in French among the personnel of the security institutions polled. In order to fill the gaps observed, the article recommend that competence in French language be made a prerequisite for recruitment and promotion of all key personnel employed in the security sector.