Terrorism, banditry: Osinbajo advocates proactive steps

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says Nigeria’s current security challenges and emerging threats require the country’s military and other relevant stakeholders to be several steps ahead of perpetrators.

The vice president said there was also need to step up local production of armaments.

Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, said the vice president received a presentation by

the National Defence College Course 30 participants, late Wednesday during a virtual interaction.

The presentation is titled, “Defence Transformation and National Security: Strategic Options for Nigeria of the Future.”

According to him, the challenges Nigeria is facing and the nature of the challenges are evident that Nigeria needs to be many steps ahead of non-state actors in particular who are perpetrators of the asymmetric warfare that we are experiencing.

“It is clear that given current realities in our security situation, there is absolutely every need for us to fast-forward all our plans for the future so that we can be much more effective in dealing with the current threats and the threats that we will experience as we go into the future.

“One of the most critical areas is the question of local production of military hardware and I think it is a low-hanging fruit when it comes to manufacturing some of the hardware that we will need.

”I think that there is a need, especially now to really look very closely at local production of our hardware, beginning with armament.”

The vice president called for improved investment in Defence Industries Corporation (DICON).

He said that every country of the world took advantage of the crisis situation that it faced.

“We mentioned India, Brazil, and even the more developed economies of the world, during the first world war, the second world war, it was these challenges that led to the development of their military-industrial complexes.

“We have a challenge today, there are so many zones where there are conflicts.
“Our law enforcement is spread out everywhere.”

Osinbajo commended the course participants for their efforts in proposing innovations in the defence sector.

He emphasised the urgency of the local production of arms.

“If we say the local companies should produce some of the mobile platforms like Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and Multi-Role Armoured Vehicle (MRAV), if we give them the contracts, they will produce.

“But if we choose to import rather than produce locally then we will never develop our military-industrial complex.”

The vice president also spoke about the need for transparency in the management of resources meant for the acquisition of hardware for the defence and security agencies.

“There needs to be more accountability because every time you hear about ‘we not having enough equipment,’ but there must be accountability.

“I will like to see a framework for greater accountability within the Ministry of Defence that ensures that they are able to account for military expenditure,” he said.

Earlier in a presentation on behalf of the Course 30 participants, Col. A. Adamu proposed, among other things, the restructuring of the Ministry of Defence to reflect contemporary challenges as well as contain emerging threats to defence and security.

He also highlighted enhancing Nigeria’s defence production capacity, leveraging technology and improving collaboration within and across Africa as determining factors for the effective transformation of Nigeria’s defence and security sector.

Adamu, on behalf of the course participants and the management of the National Defence College, prayed for the speedy recovery of the Vice President who is still recuperating, while thanking him for the opportunity to make the presentation.

Other officials present at the event included the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo.

Others were the Commandant of the National Defence College, Rear Adm. Murtala Bashir, and representative of the Inspector General of Police, among other senior officers from the college.