The Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, has advocated for a comprehensive approach to addressing the evolving security challenges confronting the nation.
Irabor made the call at the inauguration of a 4-Day Leadership in National Security Course 4/2021, organized by the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) on Monday in Abuja.
Irabor, represented by the Director, Defense Special Operations Forces, Maj.-Gen. Sunday Igbinomwanhia, noted that comprehensive approach could only be achieved if everyone at different agencies knew their responsibilities and how to galvanize their policies.
He said that officers should be able to modernize their existing policies and doctrines to suit the ever changing security situations in the country.
According to him, the threat to security is mutating because yesterday, it was ordinary armed robbery and today, it has mutated to kidnapping, terrorism and other kinds of crime and it keeps mutating.
“So, we in the security sector should also be in the forefront of being ahead of the mutation of the threats to security of our national. National security is a primary thing that we are all supposed to be involved in.
“It is a very nice thing that the centre deemed it fit to continue to groom senior level career personnel and senior officers in the various agencies to continue to have the breeding and grooming of those who are supposed to be in leadership positions in our national security apparatus.
“This course is also aimed at actually grooming you as leaders to take the responsibility of galvanizing your agencies to play the role that is required of you.
“The stage we have gotten to now is no longer an issue of one agency conducting all aspects of security,” he said.
Irabor commended the Centre for organizing the course and urged the participants to take the course seriously so as to be well informed to contribute their quota to efforts in addressing the nation’s security challenges.
The Director-General of NARC, retired Maj.-Gen. Garba Wahab, emphasized the needs for more collaboration with government agencies, private sector and stakeholders in addressing the security challenges confronting the country.
Wahab said the course was designed for mid-level career and senior professionals in government and private establishments, civil society organizations, researchers, security stakeholders and international organizations.
According to him, the programme is aimed at conceptualizing national security, the construction of its wider use and application using current trends and the challenges in both hard and soft security.
He said the course also covered the national security architecture, Nigerian’s interest and impact on regional security.
“The essence of understanding various roles is one of the reasons we organized this course because if you can see people from different agencies who understand what they are meant to do, it becomes easier,” he said. (NAN)
