President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the immediate preparation of a comprehensive National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan, aimed at strengthening coordination among Nigeria’s defence, intelligence and security institutions in response to evolving national security challenges.
The President also appointed his Special Adviser on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa, to coordinate the exercise and provide secretariat support to an 11-member high-level committee established to develop the strategic framework.
The directive was issued on Wednesday during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the committee comprises the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu; the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa; the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Muhammad Matawalle; the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu; the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas; the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Tosin Ajayi; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed.
President Tinubu said the initiative would establish a coherent national framework for identifying security threats, setting operational priorities and aligning defence capabilities with emerging security realities.
He explained that the National Threat Assessment would provide a common understanding of the country’s security environment by identifying major threats, assessing their urgency and defining strategic operational objectives.
According to the President, the accompanying five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan will translate the assessment into practical operational priorities, outlining the forces and capabilities required in different theatres of operation, identifying capability gaps, equipment and logistics needs, and providing an implementation timeline.
Tinubu noted that while recent security operations had recorded significant successes, including the rescue of pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, greater coordination among security agencies remained essential.
“The operation demonstrated what can be achieved when our agencies work together with a clear objective and the necessary intelligence,” the President said.
He observed that security operations had often been planned independently by individual agencies without reference to a unified national threat assessment or medium-term strategy, a situation he said limited effective coordination and the efficient deployment of resources.
The President directed the committee to commence work immediately and submit the completed National Threat Assessment and Strategic Defence Operations Plan within 90 days for presidential consideration and approval.
He also authorised the committee to consult or co-opt representatives of relevant ministries, departments and agencies where necessary to ensure a comprehensive national security framework.
Once approved, the Strategic Defence Operations Plan will serve as the principal blueprint for coordinating Nigeria’s military and defence operations over the medium term.
It will also provide the foundation for a multi-year defence expenditure and procurement framework, ensuring that budgetary allocations are aligned with agreed operational priorities and critical national security requirements.
President Tinubu further directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the National Security Adviser to take all necessary steps to ensure the immediate implementation of the directive.