For Nigeria to overcome the myriad of security challenges and widespread violent occurrences that has undermined not only the nation’s security but also destroyed lives, livelihoods and inter-relationships in our communities, there is now an urgent need for ‘invaluable intelligence’.
Chief of Defence Intelligence, Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Sani Usman who made the submission at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Defence Adviser/Attaché’s conference in Abuja on Monday, explained that with invaluable intelligence, the agency will drive the decision making process in the national security architecture towards better and result oriented objectives.
“That means accurate, timely, reliable and usable intelligence to drive the decision making processes in our national security and defence realm which is the very essence of the Defence Intelligence Agency”, he said adding, “As the platform that enables our defence and security architecture, the work that this agency does is of great significance to Nigeria”.
Air Vice Marshal spoke to an audience that included the Permanent Secretary, ministry of Defence, Mrs. Nuratu Batagarawa who represented the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin, Members of the National Assembly’s Committees on Defence, National Security and Intelligence, DG NAPTIP, Mrs. Julie Okah-Donli, six former Chiefs of Defence Intelligence and representatives of the DSS, NIA, NSA, Nigerian Prisons Service, Nigerian Customs, among others.
The CDI said, “It is no longer a new phenomenon that the security paradigm has shifted and we no longer face conventional threats, due largely to globalization which has affected all areas of the world and threat have now taken a new form”.
“In other to confront them, all elements of national power must be maximized and coordinated to work in tandem and with unity of effort. This is more so when we understand that no agency can manage today’s threats on its own”.
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“All parties must strive to understand one another cultures and how best to work together to achieve the desired outcome that will secure our national objectives, which is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s administrations vision for Nigeria, which is to address insecurity, corruption as well as ensure economic growth and democratic development.
Reiterating that “Our national cohesion has been negatively affected due to the widespread violent occurrences, AVM Usman said, “These unfortunate events have been exacerbated by the works of ‘trolls’ who deliberately spread falsehoods and other malicious contents online”.
On efforts at ensuring that the apex intelligence organization contains threats to national security, Usman said, “The DIA is moving forward in several fronts. Our desired end state is to engineer an era of exceptionalism, to make our intelligence enterprise one of the best in the world.
“Therefore, in the last one year, we have updated our intelligence strategy. We have equally made substantial investment to energize our operational capacity and improve on the capabilities necessary to provide high value service to Nigeria.
“To complete this process, we must see a new commitment on your part (Defence Advisers/Attaches) to work assiduously and deliver on your tasks and responsibilities. You must search for and seize all opportunities to preserve our sovereignty, protect our security and promote our prosperity.
“This requires real work in line with the objectives of the Agency and our role in the national security equation. You must place greater focus on the acquisition and quick transmission of intelligence so that it can be effectively utilized to achieve tangible benefits for Nigeria”, the CDI said.
The theme of the 2018 conference is “Collaboration among Security Agencies as a Panacea for Combating National Security Challenges: The Role of the Defence Attaché System”.
Also present at the ceremony were former CDIs, Vice Admiral Joseph Ajayi (rtd), Major General AM Halidu-Giwa (rtd), Major General SY Audu (rtd), Brigadier General Halilu Akilu (rtd), Rear Admiral Goddy Okoi (rtd), Major General Sadauna Davies (rtd) and Air Vice Marshal Monday Morgan (rtd).
Major General LO Adeosun, the Chief of Training and Operations at Army headquarters represented the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai, while the Chief of Policy and Plans at NAF headquarters represented the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.
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