Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Federal Government has charged members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies in the country to adopt new ways of identifying and confronting the incessant security challenges bedeviling the nation.
The Minister of Defence Bashir Magaji, who gave the charge, said this had become necessary for the peace, economic growth and preservation of the nation’s nascent democracy.
Major-General Bashir Magashi gave the charge at the opening of the 2019 Defence Advisers/Attaches Annual Conference taking place at the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), in Abuja.
The minister while calling for an increased coordination, cooperation collaboration and synergy among the security agencies, said it would enable them have an upper hand against the enemies and confront the security challenges.
He described the theme of the event “Enhancing Inter Agency Collaboration in Response to Current and Anticipated threats in Nigeria’s Security Environment: The Role of the Defence Attache System”, as apt and timely saying it would further empower the participants with the knowledge on effective policing of the criminals.
He, therefore, called on the defence attaches to improve their understanding and cooperation with security and defence entities in countries of their accreditation to address contemporary security challenges in line with the Federal Government’s efforts to ensure security and safety of the country.
According to him, “a look at the security challenges bedeviling Nigeria today reveals a new dimension from what it used to be. Beyond the insurgency in the North East, other contemporary security threats ranging from kidnapping, cattle rustling, farmers-headers clashes and associated banditry have continued to threaten the peace and security of the nation.
“This implies that various security agencies in the country must continue to collaborate in tackling these challenges. It also means that the security agencies must explore all avenues within their respective systems to develop new ways of identifying and confronting the challenges bothering us as a nation.
“Accordingly, this underscores the need for increased coordination, cooperation, collaboration and synergy among security agencies in order to create an enabling environment for economic growth and development as well as the preservation of our democracy.
“You will agree with me that a conducive atmosphere is a pre-requisite for attracting foreign investments and also improve on our revenue earnings. Nigeria, being Africa’s largest economy and every investor’s destination, desires a peaceful atmosphere to explore the vast potentials that abound.”
He told the gathering comprising the service chiefs that a peaceful environment is the ultimate desire of all Nigerians at the moment.
He said: “There is no doubt that the Defence Advisers/Attaches system play crucial roles in confronting Nigeria’s security challenges in furtherance of national development.
“It is for this reason that I find the theme of the 2019 Defence Advisers/Attaches Annual Conference which is ‘Enhancing Inter Agency Collaboration in Response to Current and Anticipated Threats in Nigeria’s Security Environment: Role of the Defence Attaché System’ as timely and very apt.
“It is, therefore, imperative that you take advantage of the opportunity provided to harness the potentials of the Defence Attaché System in order to effectively contribute to the country’s security efforts”.
The annual Defence Advisers /Attachee conference is one of the DIA’s platforms to appraise Nigerias foreign defense relations and provide the opportunity to articulate new strategies in its intelligence gathering mechanism.
The conference is being attended by all military attaches servicing in 25, countries of the world. The week-long conference ends on Friday.