Security Strategies and Effective Management of Federal Universities in Northeast, Nigeria

• Esther Baba Shamaki

  Department of Educational Foundations Taraba State university, Jalingo

• Amaechi, Appolus Azunwanne

  Department of Science Education Faculty of Education Federal university, wukari, Taraba state

• Ngezack Amos Cletus

  Department of Educational Foundations Taraba State university, Jalingo

This study investigated the relationship between security strategies and effective management of Federal Universities in Northeast, Nigeria. Specifically, it examined the extent to which security vote strategy and community policing strategy relate to effective management of Federal Universities in the region. The study adopted a correlational survey research design. The target population comprised 12,376 non-academic staff across six Federal Universities in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe States. A sample of 589 respondents was selected using multistage sampling techniques. Data were collected using two validated instruments: the Security Strategies Questionnaire (SSQ) and the Effective Universities Management Questionnaire (EUMQ), with an overall Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of 0.97. Of the 589 questionnaires administered, 549 valid copies were retrieved, representing a 92.9% return rate. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while simple linear regression was employed to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that security vote strategy had a very strong positive and statistically significant relationship with effective university management ((R = .935, R^2 = .874, p < .001)). Similarly, community policing strategy had a very strong positive and statistically significant relationship with effective university management ((R = .940, R^2 = .883, p < .001)). The findings suggest that adequate security funding and effective collaboration between universities and their host communities are important for improving institutional management. The study concluded that Federal Universities in Northeast Nigeria require sustainable security financing and stronger community partnerships to protect lives, property and institutional resources and maintain effective administrative operations. It recommended that university managements should ensure adequate and accountable security funding, strengthen collaboration with host communities and security agencies, and establish regular mechanisms for intelligence sharing and early warning.

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