Abstract
Human security and development complement each other in several ways. Security is central to every society since it affects all aspects of social, cultural, civil, political and economic growth and development. Securing human lives is at the core of the right to development as a peaceful and secured environment is significant to pursuing development objectives. Peace, whether mental, emotional or physical, is an essential precondition for sustainable development in many ways. When people’s lives are threatened by fear of attacks, want, poverty, indignity and socio- economic challenges, they are less likely to pursue or attain their development goals. Contrastingly, stability and safety lead to an improvement of livelihood, prospects and trust in the government or system and when people feel safe, they can further contribute in return to the enhancement of political and economic stability. This article aims to highlight the positive gains of approaching the issues of insecurity in Nigeria from a development perspective. It calls for an integrated approach to address the issues of security as a human right and a matter for development. The central argument made here is that when human security is guaranteed, development is well advanced.
Keywords: Human Development, Human Security, Welfare, Threats, Terrorism, Harm