Utilization of Science Education for Promoting National Security in Nigeria: A Study of Ebonyi State.

Abstract

National Security has been a serious issue in Nigeria. The nation is faced with a host of complex security challenges, ranging from violent extremism and insurgency to piracy, kidnapping for ransom, herdsmen menace, attacks on oil infrastructure, drug trafficking, organized crime, etc. Several efforts have been made by national security agencies to provide effective and enduring security mechanisms, yet, the problem of national insecurity has remained unabated. This study examined the utilization of Science Education for promoting National security in Nigeria. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted case study research design. The population comprised 322 students of the School of Sciences of Ebonyi State College of Education Ikwo. The entire population was used for the study. The instrument used for quantitative data collection was a researcher-made structured questionnaire which was validated by three experts in Science Education. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha reliability estimate with overall index of 0.77. The research questions were answered using mean with standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested using t-test. The study found that Science Education can effectively be utilized (X = 3.78) in promoting National security in Nigeria. The study also identified some factors such as inadequate funding, lack of well-equipped science laboratories, among others (X = 3.89) that hinder effective utilization of Science Education for promoting National security in Nigeria. The researcher recommended among other things that Science Education should be given priority in the National education policy so as to enhance National security in Nigeria.