From Policy to Paralysis: The Crisis of Implementation in Nigeria’s Fight Against Arms Proliferation

Abstract

Small arms and light weapons (SALWs) pose a significant danger to national security, social stability, and sustainable development in Nigeria due to their continuous proliferation. This article explores the intersection of governmental failure, legal deficiencies, and institutional inadequacies that have created conditions conducive to armed conflict, focusing on the correlation between poor governance and the significant proliferation of illegal small arms and light weapons (SALWs). The study looks at how problems in government, weak laws, and ineffective institutions lead to armed conflict, using the ideas of radical structural conflict theory and failed states to analyze how weapons spread by reviewing existing data and qualitative content. The findings indicate a distinct correlation between governance deficiencies, permeable borders, economic marginalization, and the increase of criminal activities such as terrorism, banditry, and communal violence. Despite Nigeria's commitments to international frameworks such as the ECOWAS Convention, institutional disarray and outdated legislation hinder the fulfillment of these obligations. The paper recommends comprehensive reforms, encompassing regional collaboration, enhanced border security, the establishment of a National SALW Commission, and socioeconomic investment. Mitigating the arms epidemic and restoring public trust in the Nigerian government hinge on these measures.