President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday flagged off a new Security Strategy aimed at encouraging citizens’ participation in enhancing national security to tackle incessant security challenges in the country.
The new national security strategy is expected to prioritise government’s commitment to enhancing the social security of Nigerians as a means of improving their physical security.
President Buhari said its main objective was to the “achievement of a safer and more secure nation”.
The new security strategy replaces a similar one launched in 2014 by former President Goodluck Jonathan and is a direct result of several stakeholder engagements, involving state security apparatus, religious leaders, the civil society organizations as well as traditional rulers.
The President, while flagging off the new strategy, also appealed to heads of ministries, departments, and agencies to see themselves as stakeholders and partners in the onerous task of securing “our people and to demonstrate the unity of purpose in implementing this strategy”.
“I’m happy to observe that the National Security Strategy reflects this thinking with an emphasis on overall human security.
“I’m pleased also to know that the strategy emerged after a long time consultative and participatory process that elicited contributions primarily from our security, intelligence, law enforcement agencies and the armed forces. Other stakeholders such as ministries, department and agencies and civil society were also contributory to this strategy.
“As such, this strategy will inform government-wide and society-wide measures designed to promote public safety and national security.”
President Buhari said security was about bottom-to-top operation, and that failure at any level would lead to serious lapse in overall security.
The event took place at the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja.
The National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, earlier in his highlights of the new strategy, described the focus as multi-dimensional. “The focus of today’s strategy is multi-dimensional and it’s to guarantee the safety of human lives.
“The approach is comprehensive and looks at how agencies will collaborate to guarantee security for our country,” he stated.
The new strategy is coming in the wake of several security challenges that have threatened the country’s food security initiatives including the security of lives and properties across the country
The event was attended by the leadership of the National Assembly, service chiefs, ministers and heads of MDAs.
