President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate preparation of a comprehensive National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan to improve coordination among Nigeria’s defence, intelligence and security agencies.
The directive was issued on Wednesday at the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House, Abuja, with the President stressing the need for a unified framework to address the country’s evolving security challenges.
Under the arrangement, the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka Famadewa, will coordinate and provide secretariat support for a nine-man committee constituted to develop the strategic defence plan.
The committee comprises the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa; Minister of State for Defence, Bello 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.
The President said the National Threat Assessment would provide a common understanding of the major security threats confronting the country, while the five-year defence plan would set out the operational objectives and capabilities required to tackle them.
Tinubu said recent security operations had demonstrated the importance of closer collaboration among the country’s security agencies, citing the rescue of pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
“The operation demonstrated what can be achieved when our agencies work together with a clear objective and the necessary intelligence,” he said.
The President noted that security and operational requirements were often considered separately, without sufficient reference to an agreed national threat assessment or a unified medium-term strategy.
According to him, the lack of such a framework could make coordination more difficult and hinder the effective deployment of limited security resources.
He directed that the National Threat Assessment should identify the principal threats facing Nigeria, rank them according to their urgency and establish specific operational objectives for addressing them.
The Strategic Defence Operations Plan, he said, would then translate the assessment into practical priorities by identifying the forces and capabilities required across the various theatres of operation.
The plan is also expected to identify capability gaps, equipment and logistical requirements, as well as establish a clear timetable for implementation.
The committee may consult or co-opt representatives of other ministries, departments and agencies where necessary to complete the assignment.
Tinubu gave the committee 90 days to complete and submit the National Threat Assessment and Strategic Defence Operations Plan for his consideration and approval.
Once approved, the plan will become the principal medium-term framework for coordinating military and defence operations across the country.
It will also form the basis for a corresponding multi-year defence expenditure and procurement plan, with the aim of ensuring that government resources are channelled towards identified security priorities and critical capability gaps.
The President further directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the National Security Adviser to take immediate steps to implement the directives.
The development is expected to give Nigeria’s security architecture a more coordinated medium-term strategy, linking threat identification to military operations, equipment procurement and defence spending.
