From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has said that the current security challenges require collaborative efforts by security agencies and other stakeholders to surmount.
President Tinubu stated this while speaking at the Constitution Review Legislative Dialogue organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review, in collaboration with the office of the National Security Adviser ( ONSA), on Monday, in Abuja.
The President, who was represented by the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, said the security dialogue is imperative, owing to evolving security challenges and the need to align the Constitution with present realities.
He explained that the federal government’s integrated security strategy, which is characterised by intelligence fusion, joint task force operations, has yielded significant results in different parts of the country.
He said, “The time has come to align Nigeria’s security architecture with some vital life realities. Our national experience has shown that neither centralisation nor fragmentation alone can secure the vast and diverse territory of Nigeria.
“The growing agitation for state police, the complex demand of cybercrime, cybersecurity, and the urgent need for efficient, intelligent sharing among agencies all point to one truth- our constitutional framework must evolve or risk becoming a danger to the very unity it was made to protect.
“Security in the 21st century is cooperative, non-competitive. Terrorism in the North East, banditry in the North West, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, farmer-headers’ crashes in the Middle-Belt, separatist agitation in the South East all share one characteristic: they transcend the capacity of any single agency.
The speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, while declaring the event open, stated that the dialogue is intended to deepen discourse on how best to achieve comprehensive security reforms.
Abbas said, “Community involvement is also key to making our country safer. Security is not just the job of the military or the police; it is the collective responsibility of all Nigerians.”
Similarly, the deputy speaker, who is also the chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Benjamin Kalu, in his opening remarks, said the dialogue is to get the direct input of stakeholders in the security sector in security oriented bills, in the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution ( as amended).
“Over the years, laws have been crafted on various aspects of national life, including security governance, often without a proper diagnosis of the real gaps and challenges as experienced by those on the frontline.
“This dialogue is designed to be that diagnostic process. We are here to listen to you, those who wear the shoes and know exactly where it pinches. Whether the issues are rooted in inter-agency harmonisation, command authority, intelligence coordination, or other critical aspects, your insights are indispensable”, Kalu said.