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From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Chief Of Army Staff(COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, has called for dialogue and cooperation between government and non governmental actors as measures to prevent and countering terrorism and other forms of violence bedeviling the country.
Yahaya, said the time has come for the security agencies to see the broader public, local communities and the private sector as partners and stakeholders in its collective effort in curbing the security challenges in the country.
The COAS, made this known at the opening of the Interagency Seminar 2023 organized by the Army War College, Nigeria, in Abuja.
Represented by the The Chief of Training (Army) Major General Sani Mohammed, the COAS, while noting that the society is still faced with violent crimes and extremism which has led to radicalization, terrorism, banditry, militancy and other criminal tendencies in the nation, said traditional measures undertaken to counter these criminalities in the nation have not yielded the needed result, as the society is still faced with violent crimes and extremism which has led to radicalization, terrorism, banditry, militancy and other criminal tendencies in the country.
He said “The traditional measures undertaken to counter these criminalities in our nation have been insufficient so far in tackling these threats and therefore require the streamlining of efforts from all actors and stakeholders in order to fully contain them.
According to him, “Security forces in Nigeria and in our region are currently operating in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment, requiring operational leaders that understand the changing dynamics under which they operate. The society is still faced with violent crimes and extremism which has led to radicalization, terrorism, banditry, militancy and other criminal tendencies in the nation.
Continuing, the COAS, said “The traditional measures undertaken to counter these criminalities in our nation have been insufficient so far in tackling these threats and therefore require the streamlining of efforts from all actors and stakeholders in order to fully contain them.
He said For us to tackle the security challenges this nation is, we deal with the cooperation and coordination between relevant government actors. It’ is important.
He said “Additionally, dialogue and cooperation between government and non governmental actors is vital in preventing and countering terrorism and other forms of violence.
We need to see the broader public, local communities and the private sector as partners and stakeholders in our collective effort and countering the threats around us.
“They must no longer be viewed as passive but active objects of security and law enforcement activities. This we must achieve through streamlining our efforts for the collective goal of enhancing our national security, streamlining all initiatives for countering threats to security will be premised on effective partnerships between all the actors.
“The civil society is very important stakeholder in this regard as it helps to create the space for constructive engagement. Between the States and its citizens, fostering trust and understanding as they both take ownership of the strategies put in place to counter their collective threat.
He further stated that “The partnerships between these stakeholders also helps to eliminate mistrust, conceptual misunderstandings, and differences in understanding of our national security issues. Indeed. The time for the full involvement of society in efforts to counter our internal security challenges is overdue. It is in the understanding that no stakeholder or single actor by themselves could successfully counter the internal security challenges in the country that informed my vision on assuming office as the chief of Army staff”.
“My vision for a professional Nigerian army ready to accomplish assigned missions within a joint environment in defense of Nigeria was encapsulated. Recognizing the fact that the current asymmetric environment require jointness of all military efforts, it is a common knowledge that our troops are deployed across the nation. On internal security operations, our troops are also deployed in joint operations in the Northeast, in the Northwest, in the South South among so many other operations nationwide to counter the threats to our national security.
“We have made tremendous strides encountering these internal security threats facing us as a nation, however. Building upon the gains and going forward, the armed forces of Nigeria and all other relevant security agencies which are gathered here today, we need to streamline their efforts in the prevention and counting of these challenges for any sustainable gains to be made accordingly.
“This seminar on the team streamlining initiative towards effective interagency collaborations in Nigeria could not have come at a better time. The choice of time and theme for this event is upped as the seminar is coming up just after the recently concluded general elections, apart from serving as a medium for appraising our collective efforts at sturing Nigeria. The seminar will also afford us an opportunity to appraise our collective performances during the just concluded elections. Added to this, all of us as a nation have come to the realization that our operations need to be intelligence driven, arising from the inputs of the whole of society in being security conscious. And equal stakeholders in the collective fight against insecurity. I understand that we have in our midst representatives of civil society organizations, both as resource persons, discussions, and participants. I join you to make the best use of this forum to contribute meaningfully to this discuss, as the product from this seminar will be circulated widely. And should help us as a people to focus on the way forward in countering the current threats that we face. The contributions of the civil society and civil society organizations will also help in preventing the causes of these threats. As a force, the Nigerian army shall continue to counter. Others shall continue to work with other stakeholders. As collaborative partners in our joint quest to enhance internal security overall, I enjoin you all to make the best use of this suspicious gathering to engage and also discuss freely.
Earlier in his address, the commandant Army War College, Major General Alabi, said the Inter-Agency Seminar for the AWCN Course 7/2023, is part of the curriculum of the AWCN Course 7/2023 which assembled on 6 Feb 23 and was inaugurated on 17 Feb 23.
He said the Interagency Cooperation and Coordination module is designed to equip participants with the knowledge required to operate with governmental and non-governmental agencies.
“Accordingly, during this module, participants have been acquainted with the fundamentals of civil- military affairs and the legal considerations for their actions and inactions during operations.
“This module has thus improved participants’ knowledge on interagency cooperation and coordination, and enhanced their competencies to function in joint environments. This Interagency Seminar will thus signal the completion of Module 3. It will please us to note that participants from the Security Agencies had earlier been sent study materials and also updated on some important aspects of Modules 1 and 2 to equip them with the necessary preparatory knowledge to effectively participate in Module 3.
He said “The theme of today’s seminar is “Streamlining Initiatives Towards Effective Inter-Agency Collaborations in Nigeria”. This theme was drawn from the vision of the Chief of Army Staff which is to have “A Professional Nigerian Army ready to accomplish assigned missions within a joint environment in defence of Nigeria”.
