..Ribadu, Musa, service chiefs made list
…committee gets 90 days to submit documents for President Tinubu’s consideration
The Federal Government has inaugurated a Presidential Committee on the National Threat Assessment and Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan, with a mandate to produce both strategic documents within 90 days for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s consideration.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) gave the charge on Wednesday during the inauguration of the committee, urging members to approach the assignment with the highest degree of professionalism, objectivity, urgency and patriotism.
Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to SGF, Mr. Yomi Odunuga, in a statement said the he committee was established by President Tinubu to develop a comprehensive assessment of the security threats confronting Nigeria and a rolling five-year strategic defence operations plan to guide the country’s response to both existing and emerging threats.
The SGF said the assignment was of considerable national importance, stressing that the committee must provide the government with a coherent framework for anticipating threats, setting priorities, allocating resources and translating national security objectives into measurable outcomes.
He said the committee was authorised to consult or co-opt representatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies whose specialised knowledge might be required in the course of its work.
According to him, the inauguration marked an important step towards strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to understand, anticipate, plan for and respond effectively to an increasingly complex and evolving security environment.
The SGF noted that contemporary security threats had become increasingly interconnected and adaptive, capable of exploiting gaps between institutions, jurisdictions and operational theatres.
While acknowledging the successes recorded by the Armed Forces and other security agencies across various theatres in recent months, he said the country must move beyond responding to individual security challenges towards a system capable of anticipating threats and sustaining operational momentum.
He stressed that while the heads of defence, intelligence and security agencies must retain the flexibility to respond to immediate threats, their actions should be anchored on a shared national understanding of the security environment and a coherent short-, medium- and long-term strategy.
The SGF observed that operational requirements were sometimes considered independently without sufficient reference to an agreed national threat assessment, prioritised national objectives or a unified capability plan.
He said such a situation could make coordination more difficult and limit the efficient deployment of scarce resources.
He therefore charged the committee to establish a strategic framework in which threat assessments would determine operational objectives, while those objectives would determine the capabilities required.
He added that capability requirements should, in turn, guide expenditure, procurement, force development and defence industrial priorities.
“In simple terms, we must establish a clear path from threat to objective, from objective to capability, from capability to resource, and from resource to measurable outcome,” he said.
The SGF explained that the National Threat Assessment would provide a comprehensive and objective understanding of Nigeria’s security landscape, including what threatens the country, why the threats matter, how they could evolve and the consequences of failing to address them.
He said the assessment would also provide a common planning basis for the Armed Forces, intelligence services and other relevant security agencies, while distinguishing between immediate threats requiring urgent responses and emerging threats requiring early investment in intelligence, technology, infrastructure, training and other capabilities.
On the Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan, the SGF said the document was expected to translate the threat assessment into practical and prioritised operational requirements.
He said it would identify what must be achieved in each operational theatre and the forces, equipment, infrastructure, logistics, intelligence, technology and other enablers required to achieve those objectives.
The plan, he added, would identify existing capability gaps and establish priorities according to the severity and urgency of threats, while providing a realistic implementation timetable and measurable indicators of progress.
According to him, the five-year horizon would support medium-term planning for force development, capability acquisition, infrastructure, training, maintenance, research and development, as well as the strengthening of Nigeria’s defence industrial base.
He, however, noted that the plan would operate on a rolling basis and be reviewed annually to accommodate emerging threats, changing operational realities, technological developments and lessons from ongoing operations.
Under its terms of reference, the committee is expected to review Nigeria’s principal existing and emerging security threats and assess their relative urgency and strategic implications.
It will also define operational priorities, identify capability requirements in each theatre, assess gaps in equipment, logistics, infrastructure, technology and personnel, and determine procurement priorities based on assessed threats and operational needs rather than institutional preferences.
The committee is further expected to establish implementation steps and realistic timelines, including mechanisms for monitoring progress and assessing outcomes.
The SGF said Nigeria’s military and security personnel, who continue to demonstrate courage and commitment in defending the country, deserved a strategic framework that clearly defines their objectives and provides the capabilities, resources and support required to accomplish their duties.
He thereafter formally inaugurated the committee on behalf of President Tinubu and wished members wisdom, diligence and success in the discharge of the assignment.
The committee will be coordinated and supported by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa (rtd).
Its members are the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd); Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Muhammad Matawalle; and Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede.
Others are the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas; Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu; Director-General, Department of State Services, Tosin Ajayi; and Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Muhammed Muhammed.
In his closing remarks, the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Major General Famadewa, expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for the confidence reposed in members of the committee and the opportunity to contribute to the security and wellbeing of the country.
Famadewa urged members to work collectively and in synergy to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture, stressing that the assignment was a shared national responsibility.
He clarified that his role would not be to command members of the committee but to facilitate collaboration and harness their collective expertise towards achieving the objectives set by the President.
He also disclosed that subcommittees would be established to enable members to focus on specialised areas and ensure that the committee completes its assignment within the stipulated 90-day timeframe.