From Victor Osula, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate development of a comprehensive National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan as part of efforts to strengthen coordination among Nigeria’s defence, intelligence and security agencies.
The President gave the directive on Wednesday during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja, saying the initiative was necessary to establish a coherent national framework for responding to the country’s evolving security threats.
A statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said that under the directive, the President’s Special Adviser on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa, will coordinate and provide secretariat support for an 11-member committee constituted to draft the strategic defence operations plan.
The committee comprises the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa; Minister of State for Defence, Bello Muhammad Matawalle; Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas.
Also on the committee are the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Ajayi, and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Muhammed Muhammed.
President Tinubu said the proposed framework would establish a common understanding of the threats confronting the country, the operational objectives required to address them and the capabilities needed to achieve those objectives.
He said recent security operations had demonstrated the value of closer coordination between the military, intelligence and other security agencies.
According to the President, the successful rescue of pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State was an example of what could be achieved when security agencies operated with a clearly defined objective and adequate intelligence.
“The operation demonstrated what can be achieved when our agencies work together with a clear objective and the necessary intelligence”, Tinubu said.
The President, however, observed that operational requirements were often considered separately by different agencies without adequate reference to a common national threat assessment or a unified medium-term strategic plan.
He said such an approach could make coordination more difficult and limit the efficient deployment of resources to areas of greatest security need.
The National Threat Assessment, according to the directive, will provide the foundation for addressing the challenge by identifying the principal threats facing Nigeria, determining their relative urgency and establishing operational objectives for tackling them.
The Strategic Defence Operations Plan will then translate those findings into specific operational priorities.
It will identify the forces and capabilities required across different theatres of operation, assess existing gaps, determine equipment and logistical support requirements and establish a timetable for implementation.
The committee is also empowered to consult or co-opt representatives of other ministries, departments and agencies where their expertise or participation is considered necessary.
Tinubu directed the committee to commence work immediately and submit the completed National Threat Assessment and Strategic Defence Operations Plan to him within 90 days for consideration and approval.
Once approved, the plan is expected to become the principal framework for coordinating military and defence operations over the medium term.
It will also serve as the basis for developing a corresponding multi-year defence expenditure and procurement plan, a move designed to ensure that government resources are channelled towards agreed operational priorities and critical national security requirements.
The directive comes amid continuing efforts by the Federal Government to improve coordination among the armed forces, intelligence agencies and other security institutions in tackling terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other threats across the country.
By linking threat assessment directly to operational planning, equipment requirements and defence expenditure, the new framework is expected to provide a more structured basis for determining Nigeria’s security priorities and deploying limited resources.
The President further directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the National Security Adviser to take all necessary steps to ensure the immediate implementation of the directives.
