Akapoti-Ajibola Sunday James, Azeez Olaniyan and Iseolorunkanmi Joseph
Federalism is a system of government that shares power among different levels of government. Two dominant security models in federal states are centralized and decentralized, especially within the political context of Nigeria and the United States of America. Security issues are universal simply because of their cross-border nature, which calls for rigorous measures through the collective efforts of all state security mechanisms.
The study aimed at examining the outcomes of security models in two federal states, i.e., Nigeria and the United States of America. The study adopted data from documentary sources that range from Scopus, Google Scholar, and Ebsco. The establishment of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003 was a successful effort in the United States of America at combating terrorism after the 2001 September 11 attacks on the United States of America institutions, the Pentagon, and the World Trade Centre. This model has hitherto prevented recurrence of such a provocative attack, although, the U.S.A. is still facing security issues, especially tension from Russia and China. In Nigeria, the amnesty programme, counterterrorism programme, and other internal measures put in place have failed to quell the security challenges, and the insecurity, such as Boko Haram and kidnapping, remains an intense challenge to the security architecture in Nigeria.
This study provides an understanding of the analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the centralized security model in Nigeria alongside the United States of America's decentralized security approach to inform policymakers to make effective decisions on security strategies.
