The Nigerian Army and Community Development in Nigeria, 2010- 2022: An Examination of Socio- Economic Impact

Community Development plays a vital role in the growth and development of nations across the globe and Africa. This explains why governments of several nations introduce different community development programmes to meet certain needs of their population. In Nigeria, a number of government agencies and institutions, as well as Non- Governmental Organisations have been involved in Community Development in Nigeria; notable among such is the Nigerian Military, which comprises of the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force. The Nigerian Military engages in Community Development across various locations of the country as part of its Civil- Military Cooperation mandate. This paper sets out to examine the role of the Nigerian Army in Community Development and its socio- economic impact in Nigeria from 2010 to 2022. The year 2010 when the Nigerian Army established the Department of Civil Military Affairs represents a good take-off, while 2022 marked a climax of the execution of Community Development Projects by the Nigerian Army in the country. The paper provides an overview of Civil- Military Cooperation with a focus on the socio- economic dimension prior to 2010 for a basic background to the period of study.  This paper reveals that the aspect of Civil-Military Cooperation prior to 2010 manifests itself in the Nigerian Army’s support to host communities, where their formations are located. Furthermore, the paper notes that the Nigerian Army contributes to human and national development through the establishment of hospitals, schools and provision of other humanitarian services like free medical care, which also benefits host communities. In addition, job opportunities are also provided for citizens in some of the ancillary services thereby improving the local populations’ living standard. This paper also highlights some challenges militating against the role of the Nigerian Army in Community Development. On the whole, this paper concludes that community development projects undertaken by the Nigerian Army remains beneficial to host communities and plays an integral part in nation building.