A Global South reading of security and governance : traditional rulership in northern Nigeria

Abstract

This thesis on ‘A Global South reading of security and governance: traditional rulership in northern Nigeria’, argues that we need to place non-state actors at the centre of security debates if we are to respond to security crises on the ground. The study was situated within critical security studies in order to problematise security and governance processes in northern Nigeria. The research showed how traditional rulers are both powerful and vulnerable actors who have long provided security and stability in a changing Nigerian state. However, they have not been adequately acknowledged within the traditional security studies literature or in state-led/state-centric security related interventions. This research provided a more holistic, nuanced and inclusive Global South reading of security and governance, shedding new insights on how informal and excluded institutions, such as that of traditional rulers, influence the political, security and governance arena within a state.