THE SECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: THE NIGERIA EXPERIENCE

Abstract

Human trafficking has increasingly become a cog in the wheel of national development in Nigeria. The consequences are alarming as viable present and potential human resources are illegally sold as commodities into slavery, sexual exploitation, forced labour, among others. In the course of study, this paper examined among others the causes of human trafficking, the meaning of national development, government and non-governmental organisations’ preventive efforts and finally its implications for national development in Nigeria. Furthermore, the paper implored qualitative method of data gathering and was descriptively analyzed using human security as our theoretical orientation.  From the findings, it was revealed that, it is the government that has made human trafficking to flourish, given her inability to minister to the basic needs of individuals. The submission of the paper is that the absence of basic human needs in turn breeds poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, and hunger among others which suggest migration for a greener pasture abroad. It is this gap that human traffickers exploit to traffic victims across national borders for slavery. It was also found that the trafficking of people across national borders affect their present and potential socio-economic and political contributions to national development. Finally, it was however, recommended that for human trafficking to be eradicated or reduced to the lowest minimum, government should adopt a sound and robust human security policy predicated on the needs of the generality of people, It was also emphasized that government should embrace broad public participation in national affairs, judicious resource allocation and good resource management to discourage human trafficking in Nigeria.