Minister of Defense Major General (rtd) Christopher Musa on Friday stated that solving Nigeria’s insecurity “requires informed policies, credible institutions, technological innovation and a comprehensive understanding of the human dimensions of conflict”.

General Musa stated this at the TETFUND Center for Excellence in Security Management while commissioning CG Musa Security Management Hub donated to the center at the University of Ibadan.

The Defence Minister, who disclosed that “the academia occupies a strategic place in our national security management architecture,” added that “the battlefield may reveal the immediate manifestations of insecurity, but the university provides the intellectual environment to interrogate its causes, evaluate responses and develop sustainable solutions.”

He hinted that the insecurity is getting prolonged because it is becoming difficult to get the needed security weapons and ammunition, adding that Nigeria needs to begin to produce what she needs to end insecurity.

“Our intention is to expose our local producers to foreign and international manufacturers so that we can continue to produce what we need or what we rely on. Why insecurity continues to be prolonged is that we do not produce all we need. Most times, when we go to buy, even with cash at hand, you can’t get them off the shelves. And now, with the wars going on in Ukraine, Russia, and the Strait of Hormuz, it became extremely difficult buying as little as ammunitions to use talkless of APCs. Since our local manufacturers are doing their best, we need to escalate to an international level. ”

“The security challenges confronting our nation have become increasingly complex, interconnected, and multidimensional. The threats we face continue to test our national resilience. Equally concerning are the underlying conditions that sustain insecurity, including extremism, weak governance systems, political manifestations, and social exclusion, among others. These realities remind us that security cannot be achieved through military operations alone. It requires informed policies, credible institutions, technological innovation, and a comprehensive understanding of the human dimensions of conflict”

According to General Musa, “we will continue to encourage collaboration between defence institutions and centers of learning to ensure that our security policies and operational approaches benefit from research, innovation and evidence-based analysis.”

He added that “we have stepped up our game in the field and gradually improving the security situation. It is also important that everybody plays a part because it is a whole-of-nation approach. “if you see something, say something.”

The Vice Chancellor, Professor Kayode Adebowale, thanked the donor for providing a facility that the current and future generations will learn from, adding that the University will ensure that the facility to make the center the epicenter of security research in Africa.

“we hope and believe that this hub serves as the nexus for multidisciplinary research, and serve as a convening ground for policy makers and academics. The facility must not become a museum of security artifacts but (must) be used to generate data that will guide the ministry of defense and our security agents”

The lead Researcher and Technical Officer at the Center, professor Isaac Olawale Albert while thanking the Minister for fulfilling his promise to the Center, tasked him to ensure that more funds are made available to the TETFUND Center of excellence in security management to execute research, and projects that will inform the right security policies.

According to professor Albert, it is also important for the security agencies to patronize the center and engage with its resource persons towards formulating and implementing the right security policies.

In his welcome address, the Director TETFUND Center of Excellence in Security Management, Professor Benjamin Aluko who thanked the Minister for donating the building to the Center urged Nigerians to purchase forms into the MSC and PhD Security Management at the University of Ibadan and begin to enjoy the best brains in the field.