Between Rhetoric and Performance: The State and Counterterrorism in Nigeria’s Post-2015 Presidential Election

Abstract

While there are significant volumes of studies on Nigeria’s counterterrorism, little or no intellectual attention has focused on the nexus between rhetoric and the performance of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari on counterterrorism. This paper explores the politicisation of insecurity and the government’s counterterrorism efforts. It draws on the performativity thesis and documented field data to make assessments of the administration’s counterterrorism measures. It found that the government could not bridge rhetoric with performance in its efforts at counterterrorism and concluded that its failure to mitigate terrorism hinges on the politicisation of insecurity in Nigeria.