Federal Government National Security Council, rose from its quarterly meeting on Thursday, with a resolution to seek collaboration with all strata of Nigerian society including seeking support from States, Local government and members of the public to tackle the intractable security challenges facing the nation.
The National Security Council Meeting which held at the Council Chambers Abuja, was attended by Vice President Yemi Osinabjo, the Service Chiefs, Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, National Security NSA, Babagana Monguno, Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammadu Dingyadi, Boss Mustapha, Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, DG DSS, Yusuf Bichi and DG NIA Rufai Abubakar
The National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, speaking after the meeting, disclosed that the meeting made an appraisal of the current security situation and arrived at the conclusion to seek collaboration with a wide spectrum on Nigerians to deal with the situation
“ We reviewed the current situation, the opportunities and the challenges and we arrived at the conclusion that we need Collaboration with the larger Nigeria society, to deal with the situation”
The NSA who described the security challenge as “multi dimensional”, noted that there are internal and external dimensions which requires the cooperation of all Nigerians
“There is need for both parties to collaborate to deal with it right down.
“We can’t disclose anything on collaboration right now until the issues are looked. It requires everybody to work together”
Mongonu who was however silent on the calls for the declaration of State of emergency on security, as well as the calls on the President to sack the Service Chiefs.
“Those issues were not part of what we discussed” he stated
The President has never removed any of his Service Chiefs since they were first appointed in 2015, despite the fact that there tenure first expired in 2018.
President Buhari had on the 13th of July, 2019, extended tenures of office of the current Service Chiefs, including the Chief of the Defence Staff, Gabriel Olonisakin, Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai; a Lieutenant General, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar; and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, by another six months.
BusinessDay recalls that all the Service Chiefs, with the exception of the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, have served out their mandatory 35 years
“The meeting basically made an appraisal of the current security situation in the country and took a look at the possibilities, the opportunities available to government in addressing most of the recent challenges.
“There was discussions and at the end of the day, the most important thing that we came up with is the need to for collaboration both between governmental agencies and the larger Nigerian society because of the type of the insurgencies we are faced with, the complexities, the multiplicity of all kind of issues.
“There is a need for both parties- governmental agencies on one hand and the larger society to collaborate more vigorously. There is a need for us to deal with these problems in a comprehensive manner.
“Therefore, council has decided to take a closer look at issues that will help us not just at the federal level or at the state level, but right down to the local government level. But this is going to be done after due consultations with the relevant stakeholders.”
“ I want to think that everybody understands the need for a whole government approach in collaborating with the whole of society to achieve a lot. This situation requires everybody in the country to work together to deal with these challenges. So where there are gaps we need to close these gaps. That is what I mean by collaboration.”
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
