President Bola Tinubu has established a Presidential Committee on National Threat Assessment and a Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan to assess Nigeria’s security environment and develop a five-year strategy for defence operations.
The committee is expected to identify existing and emerging security threats, assess their strategic implications and determine the capabilities, resources and operational priorities required to address them.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, inaugurated the committee on Wednesday and directed its members to complete the two documents within 90 days.
The SGF urged members to approach the assignment with professionalism, objectivity, urgency and patriotism, describing it as a matter of considerable national importance.
He said the committee must provide a clear framework linking identified threats to operational objectives, required capabilities, resources and measurable outcomes.
According to him, Nigeria’s security challenges have become increasingly interconnected and adaptive, capable of exploiting gaps between institutions, jurisdictions and operational theatres.
While acknowledging recent successes by the Armed Forces and other security agencies, the SGF said the government must move beyond responding to individual threats and develop a system capable of anticipating emerging challenges, setting priorities, allocating resources efficiently and sustaining operational momentum.
Akume explained that the National Threat Assessment would provide a comprehensive and objective understanding of the country’s security landscape, including existing and emerging threats, their strategic implications, likely evolution and appropriate government responses.
The Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan, he added, would translate the assessment into prioritised operational requirements, identifying the forces, equipment, infrastructure, logistics, intelligence, technology and other capabilities needed across operational theatres.
The plan would also identify capability gaps, establish procurement priorities and provide realistic implementation timelines, with progress reviewed annually to accommodate emerging threats, technological developments and lessons from ongoing operations.
The SGF said the committee was authorised to consult or co-opt representatives of ministries, departments and agencies whose specialised knowledge might be required, assuring members of the full support and cooperation of his office.
The committee’s terms of reference include reviewing Nigeria’s principal security threats, assessing their urgency and strategic implications, defining operational priorities, identifying capability gaps and determining procurement priorities based on assessed threats rather than institutional preferences.
The committee is coordinated and supported by the Special Adviser to the President on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka Famadewa.
Its membership includes the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa; Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle; and Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede.
Others are the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas; Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu; Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Ajayi; and Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Muhammed Muhammed.
In his closing remarks, Famadewa thanked President Tinubu for the confidence reposed in the committee members and urged them to work collectively towards strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture.
He stressed that the assignment was a shared national responsibility, adding that his role would be to facilitate collaboration and harness the collective expertise of members rather than command the committee.
Famadewa also disclosed that subcommittees would be established to focus on specialised areas and ensure the assignment is completed within the stipulated 90-day timeframe.
