The Role of Military Quick Impact Projects in the Enhancement of Human Security

A Case Study of the Armed Forces of Nigeria in North-Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

In post-war or conflict-ridden areas, the distinction between a military approach and a humanitarian approach is becoming increasingly ambiguous. This paper examines how Military Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) used in the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) have helped to improve human security in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria, which is devastated by the insurgency of the Boko Haram. Although QIPs are advocated as a winning-of-hearts-and-minds approach in counterinsurgency (COIN) doctrine, their effectiveness in providing sustainable human security results is controversial. Based on a mixed-methods approach, with a survey of 422 stakeholders and in-depth interviews, this study evaluates QIPs in a seven-dimensional human security framework. Results show that QIPs have already attained significant short-term returns on rebuilding critical infrastructure, delivering first-line services and building initial trust. Their long-term effectiveness is, however, severely compromised by structural flaws, such as a lack of community ownership, poor interagency coordination, poor monitoring and evaluation and a short-term mismatch with the long-term development planning. Theoretically, the paper uses the Public Goods Theory (PGT) to reveal that although QIPs are expected to deliver public goods such as infrastructure, the lack of inclusivity and interagency rivalry makes it highly vulnerable in the real world due to politicized implementation and sustainability issues. The research concludes that in order to enable the QIPs to go beyond the level of utility within a tactical approach and to make a significant contribution to human security, a paradigm shift to a more collaborative, community-based and strategically patient approach is necessary. Suggestions are provided regarding including QIPs in a more civilian-based framework of stabilization.