Security, economic, environmental, institutional and social shocks are becoming regular occurrences, making our world unpredictable. These challenges are making the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals difficult to achieve, especially in the underdeveloped and developing nations. This research focuses on Nigeria to explore the impact of some of these shocks on the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 (Zero Hunger) and 4 (Quality Education). The research employs quantitative analysis, including descriptive and structural equation modelling, to evaluate the effects of insecurity, economic, political, and social instability on food security and educational outcomes, based on a survey of 450 respondents. The results from the descriptive analysis confirm evidence of insecurity, economic instability, political instability and social instability, and path analysis shows that economic instability has a significant and adverse effect on the achievement of SDG goals 2 and 4. Counter to expectations that security or political factors would dominate, our findings reveal that perceptions of economic instability exhibit the sole significant, negative relationship with both food security and educational attainment outcomes. This study unpacks this critical finding, arguing that economic shocks act as the primary transmission channel, eroding household purchasing power and resilience in ways that direct security threats or political instabilities do not. We conclude that for policymakers aiming to safeguard SDG 2 and 4 progress, interventions focused on economic stabilization may yield more immediate returns than those addressing only the security or political spheres or social protection.
Ajayi et al. (2026) studied this question.