Nigeria Moves To Strengthen Defence Strategy With 5-Year Plan

The federal government has moved to strengthen Nigeria’s defence strategy with the establishment of a drafting committee to develop a five-year strategic defence cooperation plan for the country.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday.

According to Idris, the establishment of the drafting committee was approved by the Council as part of broader efforts to strengthen national security and ensure the protection of lives and property.

He said the committee would comprise the Office of the National Security Adviser, the two Ministers of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, all the Service Chiefs, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency and the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security.

Idris said the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security would provide the secretariat for the committee.

He added that the committee had been given 90 days from Wednesday to submit its report to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to the minister, the committee would examine Nigeria’s overall national threat assessment and develop the principal framework for military and defence cooperation for the country.

He said the initiative was part of President Tinubu’s broader plan to strengthen national security and further guarantee the safety of Nigerians.

Idris said the development was coming on the heels of successes recorded by the military and security agencies in operations against criminal elements, bandits and terrorists operating in different parts of the country.

He also highlighted other measures taken by the Tinubu administration to strengthen the armed forces and improve the welfare of military personnel.

According to him, President Tinubu had approved an increase in the wages of members of the armed forces, while the country’s military divisions had also been increased from eight to 12.

He further noted that the government had approved the provision of about 600 additional housing units for members of the armed forces.

Idris said the measures, taken together, demonstrated the direction of the Federal Government in providing security agencies and military personnel with the necessary support and conducive environment to continue defending the country.

He stressed that the protection of lives and property remained the primary responsibility of any government, adding that the Tinubu administration was determined to deepen efforts to tackle insecurity and make Nigeria safer.

The five-year strategic defence cooperation plan is expected to provide a framework for assessing Nigeria’s security threats and strengthening military and defence cooperation as the Federal Government seeks to further consolidate its efforts to address insecurity.