THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF MILITARISED PUBLIC SPENDING IN NIGERIA: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, FISCAL TRADE-OFFS, AND THE LIMITS OF SECURITY-LED DEVELOPMENT
Hafiz Ismail , Danjuma Ahmad and Aisha Muhammad Ishaq
Volume 13 Issue 2
Abstract
This study examines the political economy of militarised public spending in Nigeria and its implications for human development. It addresses a central paradox: despite rising defence expenditure over the past two decades, insecurity remains pervasive while human development indicators, especially in education and health, remain weak. Drawing on data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the World Bank’s World Development Indicators (WDI), the study combines descriptive trend analysis with political economy interpretation to examine patterns in military, health, and education spending. The findings show that Nigeria’s military expenditure has risen sharply but unevenly, reflecting a reactive and crisis-driven fiscal posture rather than a stable long-term security strategy. At the same time, education spending remains persistently low, while health spending, though comparatively higher, is still insufficient relative to development needs. The study argues that this pattern reflects deeper structural dynamics, including fiscal trade-offs, governance weaknesses, opacity in defence spending, and elite incentives that sustain militarisation. By integrating Military Keynesianism, Critical Financial Studies, and postcolonial political economy, the study shows that militarised spending may reproduce rather than resolve insecurity when it crowds out investment in human capital. The study concludes that durable security in Nigeria requires a rebalancing of public expenditure toward education, health, employment, and accountable security governance. Keywords: Militarised Public Spending; Human Development; Security–Development Nexus; Political Economy; Fiscal Trade-offs; Governance; Nigeria
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