Tinubu convenes meeting with Service Chiefs, vows to overhaul Nigeria’s security architecture
Story from Vivian DANIEL, Abuja
Less than a week after his inauguration, President Bola Tinubu convened a meeting on Thursday, June 1st, with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Service Chiefs, Inspector General of Police (IGP), and heads of intelligence agencies, vowing to revamp Nigeria’s current security architecture.
After a two-hour closed-door session at the State House in Abuja, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd), addressed reporters and shared key points from the meeting.
The President stressed the need for coordinated efforts among the military and cautioned against working at cross purposes in the fight against insecurity.
The NSA further revealed that President Tinubu urged military personnel to intensify their efforts and instructed all security agencies to develop a comprehensive master plan to eradicate the security challenges plaguing the nation.
During the maiden meeting of the General Security Appraisal Committee (GSAC), comprising the CDS, service chiefs, IG, and heads of intelligence agencies, the President addressed the prevailing issues confronting the nation in terms of insecurity. He also outlined his philosophy for dealing with national security matters.
According to the NSA, “First and foremost, the President expressed his appreciation for the armed forces, intelligence agencies, and other paramilitary agencies for their dedicated service in the past years. He acknowledged their sacrifice and loyalty and paid tribute to those who lost their lives defending the country against terrorism, insurgency, banditry, oil theft, sea robbery, piracy, and other threats.”
“The President is resolute in building upon the progress made thus far and reversing the misfortunes to secure a brighter future for the country,” the NSA continued.
“He firmly believes that Nigeria should not struggle while other nations are making remarkable strides. To achieve this, the President emphasizes the need for the security agencies to double their efforts. His philosophy revolves around contemporary security measures that address the present requirements.”
The NSA emphasized that the President would not accept a situation where the country’s fortunes continued to decline.
He stressed the importance of national security coordination and the establishment of a clearinghouse to ensure that all agencies work towards a common purpose. Working at cross purposes and conflicting with one another will not be tolerated.
The President has also called for increased consultations, timely reporting, and actionable intelligence.
He plans to implement several reforms in the security architecture, with a keen focus on addressing maritime challenges, particularly oil theft, which will not be tolerated under his administration.
The President has directed the security agencies to develop a blueprint promptly, as time is of the essence.
Furthermore, he has emphasized the importance of providing adequate support, including proper feeding, equipment, motivation, and all necessary resources to the armed forces involved in operations.
The President intends to utilize his powers to facilitate the operational elements, but he expects the intelligence agencies to facilitate their work by providing the necessary intelligence required to execute their assignments effectively.
It is worth noting that in his inaugural address on Monday, President Tinubu assured Nigerians that security would be a top priority for his administration.
He highlighted the need to reform both the security doctrine and its architecture, with increased investment in personnel training, equipment, remuneration, and firepower.
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