FG establishes committee for national security strategy, defense plan

The Federal Government has launched a significant initiative to bolster Nigeria's national security apparatus by inaugurating a committee tasked with preparing a comprehensive National Security Strategy and a Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan. The committee received its mandate on Wednesday from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, who represented President Bola Tinubu.

Senator Akume urged the committee members to approach their assignment with professionalism, objectivity, urgency, and patriotism, underscoring the considerable national importance of their work. He stated that the initiative is designed to strengthen 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 are interconnected and adaptive, often exploiting gaps between institutions and jurisdictions. While acknowledging recent successes by the Armed Forces and other security agencies, he stressed the government's need to move beyond reactive measures towards a system capable of proactive threat anticipation, priority setting, and sustained operational momentum.

The committee's strategic framework is expected to ensure that national security objectives translate into measurable outcomes. This involves establishing a clear link from threat assessment to operational objectives, capability requirements, resource allocation, and ultimately, measurable results. The resulting assessment will provide a common planning basis for security agencies and help differentiate between immediate threats and emerging challenges requiring early investment in intelligence and technology.

“

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.