President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate preparation of a comprehensive National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan to strengthen coordination across Nigeria’s defence, intelligence and security agencies.
Tinubu issued the directive on Wednesday during the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House, Abuja, stressing the need for a unified framework to address evolving security threats across the country.
The President’s Special Adviser on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka Famadewa, will coordinate the process and provide secretariat support for an 11-member committee constituted to prepare the strategic plan.
The committee includes the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa; 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; and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas.
Also on the committee are the Director-General of the Department of State Service, Tosin Ajayi, and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Muhammed Muhammed.
According to Tinubu, the new framework will provide a common understanding of the threats facing Nigeria, define operational objectives and identify the capabilities required to address them.
The President said recent security successes, including the rescue of pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, demonstrated the importance of stronger coordination among defence, intelligence and security agencies.
“The operation demonstrated what can be achieved when our agencies work together with a clear objective and the necessary intelligence,” the President said.
Tinubu noted that security agencies often assess operational requirements individually without sufficient reference to an agreed national threat assessment or unified medium-term plan, a situation he said makes coordination more difficult and limits the efficient deployment of resources.
The National Threat Assessment will identify the country’s principal security threats, determine their relative urgency and establish operational objectives for addressing them.
The five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan will translate the assessment into operational priorities, outlining the forces and capabilities required in each theatre, existing capability gaps, equipment and support needs, and an implementation timetable.
The committee may also consult or co-opt representatives of other ministries, departments and agencies where necessary.
Tinubu directed the committee to begin work immediately and submit the completed National Threat Assessment and Strategic Defence Operations Plan within 90 days for his consideration and approval.
“Once approved, the plan will serve as the principal framework for coordinating military and defence operations over the medium term,” the statement said.
“It will also provide the basis for preparing a corresponding multi-year defence expenditure and procurement plan, ensuring that resources are directed towards agreed operational priorities and critical national security requirements.”
The President also directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the National Security Adviser to take all necessary steps to immediately implement the directive.
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