FG Unveils Five-Year Strategic Security Plan, Gives Committee 90 Days
The Federal Government has commenced moves to establish a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s response to terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other emerging security threats.
President Bola Tinubu directed the development of the plan alongside a comprehensive National Threat Assessment, with an 11-member committee given 90 days to complete the assignment.
The committee was formally inaugurated in Abuja by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, on Thursday. It is being coordinated by the President’s Special Adviser on Homeland Security, Major-General Adeyinka Famadewa (retd.).
What the new security plan will address
According to the Federal Government, the National Threat Assessment is expected to:
Identify and rank the major security threats confronting Nigeria.
Determine the urgency and scale of each threat.
Establish clear operational priorities for security agencies.
Identify capability, equipment and resource gaps.
Improve coordination among the military, intelligence and other security agencies.
Link security threats to operational objectives, capabilities, resources and measurable outcomes.
The five-year plan is expected to provide a medium-term framework for military and defence operations, rather than leaving agencies to respond mainly to individual security incidents.
Akume said contemporary security threats were increasingly interconnected and capable of exploiting gaps between institutions and operational jurisdictions. He therefore stressed the need for Nigeria to move from a largely reactive approach to one based on anticipation, strategic planning and coordinated deployment of resources.
Who is on the committee?
The committee includes key figures from Nigeria’s security architecture, including:
National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu
Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa
Minister of State for Defence, Bello Muhammad Matawalle
Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede
Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. 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 DSS, Tosin Ajayi
Director-General of the NIA, Muhammed Muhammed
President’s Special Adviser on Homeland Security, Major-General Adeyinka Famadewa, who coordinates the committee.
The committee is expected to submit both the National Threat Assessment and Strategic Defence Operations Plan within 90 days for President Tinubu’s consideration and approval.
The development comes as Nigeria continues to grapple with persistent insecurity, including kidnapping and attacks by armed groups. Recent mass-abduction incidents have further intensified calls for a more coordinated and proactive security strategy.
The key question now is implementation: security-sector reform groups have welcomed the initiative but warned that the five-year plan must translate into measurable improvements on the ground rather than become another policy document that remains on paper.
