Victoria Ojiako
The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Adebayo Babalola, has called for stronger collaboration among security agencies, government institutions and communities to effectively address Nigeria’s changing security challenges.
Babalola, represented by the Commander, 55 Signal Brigade, Brigadier General Clement I. Iyere, made the call in his welcome address at the Lagos State Peace and Security Management Course organised by Peace Building Development Consult (PBDC), in partnership with the Nigeria Police Force, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) and 81 Division, Nigerian Army.
The course, themed, “Enhanced Peace for Security and Sustainable Development in Nigeria through State Dialogue and Grassroots Solutions,” brought together government officials, policymakers, security and intelligence professionals, traditional and religious leaders, community representatives, women and youth groups, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
Babalola said the programme was coming at a time when Nigeria was confronted by increasingly complex security threats that required responses beyond the traditional deployment of force.
He identified kidnapping, cybercrime, cultism, human trafficking, violent extremism, proliferation of small arms, youth restiveness, misinformation and urban violence among the challenges requiring coordinated and sustainable responses.
According to him, Lagos occupies a strategic position in Nigeria’s security and economic architecture because of its population, commercial activities, coastal environment and complex urban structure.
He said these characteristics made effective interagency coordination, community engagement, intelligence-led security management and grassroots interventions critical to maintaining peace and supporting sustainable development in the state.
The GOC said the course provided an important platform for policymakers, security professionals, government officials, community leaders and other stakeholders to examine practical approaches to peacebuilding and security management.
He said participants would deliberate on human and national security, intelligence management, community peacebuilding, interagency collaboration, conflict resolution, cybersecurity, misinformation, crisis management and security sector reform.
Other areas of focus, he added, include early warning systems, artificial intelligence, and the roles of women and youths in peacebuilding.
Babalola noted that these areas had become increasingly important to modern security management, particularly as the nature of security threats continues to evolve.
The GOC stressed that sustainable security could not be achieved by government and security agencies alone.
He urged stakeholders to promote trust, dialogue, community participation, effective leadership and stronger institutional collaboration in addressing security challenges.
Babalola also encouraged participants to actively engage in the course, share practical experiences and develop recommendations that could be translated into effective policies and interventions within their institutions and communities.
He expressed appreciation to the participants and other stakeholders for their commitment to the programme, urging them to ensure that the deliberations produced practical and outcome-driven recommendations for the benefit of Lagos State and Nigeria.