Title: INTER-AGENCY COORDINATION AND BUREAUCRATIC POLITICS IN NIGERIA’S NATIONAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
Authors:
Anekwe, James K., Nwambuko, Temple C. and George, Nyenobokume
Abstract:
This study investigates the influence of bureaucratic politics on inter-agency coordination and its implications for national security administration in Nigeria. National security challenges in Nigeria, including insurgency, banditry, and organised crime, often require coordinated responses across multiple security agencies. However, persistent coordination failures have undermined policy implementation and operational effectiveness. Guided by bureaucratic politics theory and coordination theory, the study examines how organisational rivalry, information hoarding, resource competition, and leadership behaviour affect inter-agency collaboration. It further explores the institutional, organisational, and political factors that exacerbate coordination challenges and assesses the role of effective inter-agency coordination in enhancing the formulation and implementation of national security policies. The study adopts a mixed-methods research design, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to a sample of 400 personnel across Nigeria’s security agencies, including the Armed Forces, Police, State Security Service, and paramilitary organisations. Qualitative data were gathered via semi-structured interviews with 30 senior officials directly involved in policy formulation and operational coordination. Descriptive statistics (percentages, means, and standard deviations) were used to summarise patterns of bureaucratic politics, coordination challenges, and policy outcomes. Inferential statistics, including Pearson Product-Moment Correlation and regression analysis, were employed to test the study’s hypotheses and examine the relationships among variables. Findings indicate that bureaucratic politics significantly undermines inter-agency coordination, while institutional, organisational, and political factors exacerbate coordination failures. Effective inter-agency coordination, however, significantly improves the effectiveness of national security policy formulation and implementation. The study concludes that addressing bureaucratic politics, clarifying institutional mandates, and strengthening coordination mechanisms are essential for enhancing national security administration in Nigeria. Policy recommendations include institutional reforms, capacity building, and political insulation of security agencies, resource investment, and the promotion of a collaborative culture.
Keywords: Bureaucratic politics, inter-agency coordination, national security administration, Nigeria, institutional factors, policy implementation.
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