Fortifying Nigeria's Future: A Security Companion Against Insurgency

Abstract

Nigeria, a nation grappling with a major security crisis that has resulted in approximately 3.1 million citizens being internally displaced, is in dire need of innovative solutions. This study explores one such solution - a mobile application designed to enhance security and safety, which we term the Security and Safety Mobile Application (hereafter referred to as SAPP). The SAPP, an android-based application, facilitates emergency notifications to friends and family during situations such as terrorist attacks, robberies, kidnappings, fire outbreaks, and road accidents. The first part of this study followed the Design Science Research methodology (DSR) to conceptualize and create the SAPP. The second part focused on evaluating the SAPP's acceptance level among users through an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), a model specifically modified for this study. A purposive sampling method was adopted, targeting users who have had experience with the SAPP. Out of 400 potential respondents, a total of 388 responses were received. The study found that the SAPP garnered a high acceptance level among users, with an average mean score of 3.936 out of 5 for their "Intention to use" the SAPP. This evaluation also investigated the interrelationships between the modified TAM’s constructs, which include mobile skilfulness, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude towards use, and intention to use. The results of this study not only provide insights into cost-effective solutions to societal challenges, like insurgency, but also demystify the factors influencing users' adoption of new technologies. This knowledge can be instrumental for future research in Design Science Research and studies examining user adoption behaviour in the social sciences.