By Omodele Adigun
The Lagos Chapter 206 of the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), comprising industrial security practitioners, has called for a strategic and structured partnership between Nigeria’s private security industry and government-controlled security agencies. This collaboration is viewed as crucial for achieving the much required progress in addressing the perennial issues of insecurity in the country. Recently, members of ASIS, Lagos Chapter 206, convened at the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan for their 2023 Leadership Retreat. The retreat aimed to develop innovative solutions to address the escalating insecurity in Nigeria and promote knowledge sharing and best practices among ASIS members.
Under the theme “Secured Handshake: A Public and Private Sector Imperative for Effective Security Operations and Practice in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) World,”
Mrs. Joko Olanitori, Chairman of ASIS Chapter 206, Lagos, emphasised the theme’s significance in today’s global space alongside Nigeria’s unique security challenges. Olanitori stressed the urgent need for structured and formalised engagement between Nigerian public security agencies such as the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, DSS, and others, with the private security industry, to effectively address the growing insecurity in the country.
She further expressed ASIS’s commitment, under her leadership, to collaborate with industry stakeholders and promote meaningful synergy between private security operators and public security institutions in Nigeria. She explained, “There are millions of private security operatives across Nigeria. Imagine harnessing their potential by equipping them to gather and share security intelligence with their statutory counterparts. Through collaboration, we can leverage the vast amount of information from such sources to tackle security challenges in the country.”
During his keynote address, Dr. Solomon Arase, former Inspector General of Police and Chairman of the Police Service Commission, emphasized the pivotal role of public-private partnerships in enhancing security. Arase highlighted that such partnerships can lead to improved security outcomes by leveraging the private sector’s resources and expertise to complement the government’s efforts. Additionally, these collaborations can foster economic growth, as security plays a critical role in investor confidence.
However, Brigadier-General Idam Ogbonna Agachi (Rtd), while discussing the metaphorical “secured handshake” between the private and public security sectors in the country, urged the private security industry to engage in introspection and initiate collaboration with government institutions to bring about the much needed positive change. Brigadier-General Ogbonna explained, “To transform the current situation, society must first engage in introspection and subsequently collaborate with the public sector.”
Mr. Peter Okoloh, Assistant Regional Vice President of ASIS International Region 11A, reiterated the significance of a secured handshake between the private and public sectors. He emphasized that a significant number of private security operatives in Nigeria are embedded within local communities, enabling them proximity to valuable intelligence. Okoloh stressed that seamless collaboration between the private sector and statutory security bodies is vital for effective security solutions.
In his scholarly submission, Dr. Wale Adeagbo, Director of Security Risk Advisory & Consulting at Halogen Group, acknowledged the inevitability of the handshake but argued for a holistic approach requiring the redefinition of and broader scoping of all stakeholders in security. He emphasized that compartmentalizing the stakeholders in the security sector is insufficient. According to Adeagbo, “Everyone needs to be involved. It goes beyond a handshake. It is inevitable due to the Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous nature of our current existential environment”
The annual retreat organized by the international industrial security body included edutainment sessions, business networking, and extensive knowledge sharing among its members.