President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered 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 agencies.
The directive was issued on Wednesday during the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House, Abuja, with the President giving an 11-member committee 90 days to complete and submit both documents for his consideration and approval.
The committee will be coordinated by the President’s Special Adviser on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa, who will also provide secretariat support.
Other members are the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa; Minister of State for Defence, Bello Muhammad Matawalle; Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas.
Also on the committee are the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Ajayi, and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Muhammed Muhammed.
Tinubu said the new framework was necessary to establish a common understanding of the threats confronting Nigeria, define operational objectives and identify the capabilities required to respond effectively.
He cited the recent rescue of pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State as evidence of what improved coordination among security agencies could achieve.
“The operation demonstrated what can be achieved when our agencies work together with a clear objective and the necessary intelligence,” the President said.
According to Tinubu, security requirements are often considered individually, without adequate reference to a unified national threat assessment or medium-term operational plan. He said this approach makes coordination more difficult and can hinder the effective deployment of resources.
The National Threat Assessment will identify the country’s principal security threats, rank them according to urgency and establish operational objectives for tackling them.
The Strategic Defence Operations Plan will then translate the assessment into specific priorities, including the forces and capabilities required across different theatres, existing capability gaps, equipment and support requirements, as well as an implementation timetable.
The committee is authorised to consult or co-opt representatives of other ministries, departments and agencies where necessary.
Once approved, the plan will become the principal framework for coordinating military and defence operations over the medium term. It will also form the basis for a corresponding multi-year defence expenditure and procurement plan, with the aim of directing resources towards agreed operational priorities and critical national security needs.
The President directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the National Security Adviser to take immediate steps to implement the directives.
Tinubu’s order signals a shift toward a unified, multi-year approach to Nigeria’s national security planning, linking threat assessment, military operations, procurement and defence spending under a single strategic framework.
