The Federal Government has inaugurated a high-level committee to develop a comprehensive National Threat Assessment and a rolling Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s response to emerging security challenges.
The committee was inaugurated on Wednesday by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.
It has been given 90 days to complete and submit the two strategic documents to the President for consideration and approval.
Speaking at the inauguration, Akume said the initiative was designed to improve Nigeria’s ability to understand, anticipate and respond effectively to an increasingly complex security environment.
He stressed that security threats were becoming more interconnected and adaptive, often exploiting gaps between institutions, jurisdictions and operational theatres.
According to him, while the Armed Forces and other security agencies have recorded significant successes in various theatres of operation, the country must move beyond reacting to individual security incidents and develop a coordinated system for anticipating threats and setting clear priorities.
Akume said the proposed framework would ensure that national security objectives were translated into measurable outcomes, with threat assessments guiding operational priorities and capability requirements.
He explained that the process would create a clear link between identified threats, operational objectives, required capabilities, available resources and measurable results.
The National Threat Assessment will provide government with a comprehensive assessment of existing and emerging security threats, their strategic implications and possible responses.
The assessment is also expected to serve as a common planning framework for the Armed Forces, intelligence agencies and other relevant security institutions.
The Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan, meanwhile, will translate the threat assessment into practical and prioritised operational requirements.
Akume said the plan would operate on a rolling basis and be reviewed annually to accommodate emerging threats, technological developments, changing operational realities and lessons from ongoing military operations.
The committee is also expected to identify capability gaps and determine requirements in areas including equipment, logistics, infrastructure, technology, personnel and support services.
It will further establish procurement priorities based on assessed threats and operational requirements rather than institutional preferences.
The government said implementation timelines and mechanisms for monitoring progress and evaluating outcomes would also be developed as part of the assignment.
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The committee is being coordinated and supported by the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Maj-Gen. Adeyinka Famadewa (retd.).
Famadewa described the assignment as a shared national responsibility and disclosed that subcommittees would be established to focus on specialised areas and ensure that the 90-day deadline is met.
Members of the committee include National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Defence Christopher Musa; Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle; Chief of Defence Staff Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sunday Aneke; and Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Idi Abbas.
Others are Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu; Director-General of the Department of State Services Tosin Ajayi; and Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency Muhammed Muhammed.
The Federal Government said the strategic framework would provide Nigeria’s security agencies with clearer objectives and help ensure that personnel are adequately equipped and supported to tackle both immediate and emerging threats.
