By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: The Federal Government has inaugurated the Presidential Committee on the National Threat Assessment and Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan, charging it to develop a clear framework for identifying security threats, setting objectives and achieving measurable outcomes.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, gave the charge on Wednesday in Abuja while inaugurating the committee on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.
The inauguration is part of the administration’s efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to understand, anticipate and respond to an increasingly complex security environment, according to a statement by the SGF’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga.
Akume urged members of the committee to approach the assignment with professionalism, objectivity, urgency and patriotism, stressing that they had been entrusted with a task of significant national importance.
He said the committee was expected to deliver both the National Threat Assessment and the Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan within 90 days for the President’s consideration and approval.
“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 said the committee could consult or co-opt representatives of ministries, departments and agencies whose specialised knowledge might be required during its work.
He also assured the committee of the full support and cooperation of his office.
While acknowledging recent successes recorded by the Armed Forces and other security agencies across various theatres, Akume said the government must move beyond responding to individual security incidents and develop a system capable of anticipating threats, setting priorities, allocating resources efficiently and sustaining operational momentum.
He said the system must also ensure that national security objectives were consistently translated into measurable outcomes.
According to him, contemporary security threats have become increasingly interconnected and adaptive, with the capacity to exploit gaps between institutions, jurisdictions and operational theatres.
Akume noted that operational requirements were sometimes considered independently without sufficient reference to an agreed national threat assessment, clearly prioritised objectives or a unified capability plan.
He said such gaps could make coordination more difficult and limit the efficient deployment of scarce resources.
The SGF said the National Threat Assessment would provide government with a comprehensive and objective understanding of the country’s security landscape by identifying the threats facing Nigeria, their significance, likely evolution, consequences of inaction and appropriate responses.
He said the assessment would also provide a common planning basis for the Armed Forces, intelligence services and other relevant security agencies.
It would help distinguish between immediate threats requiring urgent operational responses and emerging threats requiring early investment in intelligence, technology, infrastructure, doctrine and training, he added.
On the Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan, Akume said it was expected to translate the threat assessment into practical and prioritised operational requirements.
He said the plan would establish what needed to be achieved in each operational theatre and identify the forces, capabilities, equipment, infrastructure, logistics, intelligence, technology and other enablers required.
The plan, according to him, would identify existing capability gaps, establish priorities based on the severity and urgency of identified threats and provide a realistic implementation timetable.
It would specify what was required, when it was required, why it was required, who was responsible for delivery and how progress would be measured.
Akume said the five-year timeframe would provide the medium-term horizon required for force development, capability acquisition, infrastructure development, training, maintenance, research and development, as well as strengthening Nigeria’s defence industrial base.
He added 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 the principal security threats facing Nigeria, including existing and emerging threats, assess their urgency and strategic implications, define operational priorities, identify capability gaps and determine procurement priorities based on assessed threats and operational requirements rather than institutional preferences.
It is also expected to establish implementation steps and realistic timelines for each priority, including mechanisms for monitoring progress and assessing outcomes.
Akume said 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 them.
He thereafter formally inaugurated the committee and wished its members wisdom, diligence and successful deliberations.
The committee is coordinated and supported by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa (retd.).
Its members include the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.); Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Muhammad Matawalle; Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; 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, DSS, Tosin Ajayi; and Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ambassador Muhammed Muhammed.
In his remarks, Famadewa thanked President Tinubu for the confidence reposed in members of the committee and the opportunity to contribute to the security and wellbeing of the country.
He urged members to work collectively and in synergy to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture, stressing that the assignment was a shared national responsibility.
“My 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,” Famadewa said.
He added that subcommittees would be established to enable members to focus on specialised areas and ensure the assignment is completed within the stipulated 90-day timeframe.
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