Effect of Insecurity on Economic Growth in Nigeria

Abstract

Many studies in conformity with theoretical underpinnings have shown that insecurity exerts a negative effect on economic growth. This study investigated the effect of insecurity on economic growth in Nigeria. The vector autoregressive model was employed using quarterly data from 2009Q1 to 2016Q4. The major findings show that economic growth and investment activities tend to increase during periods of insecurity. Also the rate of unemployment reduced during periods of insecurity. This implies that insecurity only threatens economic activities with no negative effect on the entire economy as conjectured by various economic theories. Thus, to continuously sustain the Nigeria’s economic growth rate, the government needs to protect domestic and foreign investments by stepping up its national security.