‘Buhari’s Government Should Approach Security From National And Regional Dimensions’

WHAT do you expect Buhari’s government to do differently in the area of security, considering the security challenges facing the nation?
Post inauguration, the incumbent retains the ability and capacity to address our security challenges with the despatch and altruism it requires.

Nigeria has been and remains a direct function of a predisposition of our past leaders to downplay matters of state and national security implication, in preference to the cravings of their personal, ego, and somewhat petty vested interests; this they like to unwittingly define as politics.

I see Buhari as one who is not habitually given to the vagaries of pomp and self-aggrandisement, or pander to the polemics that inform a deliberate deviation to the issues at hand.

Modest, frugal and strong-willed, Buhari has the attributes of one who can remain focused, and result-oriented. These attributes may not go down well particularly with people who consider governance a permanent preoccupation, and eatery of sorts, where wining and dining at the expense of the nation, its people and resources comes first in order of priority.

Security Chiefs who are not given to strategic intelligence, resource and intellectual rigour as a means to appraising security situations and proffering informed solutions will need to do a rethink.

With a personality like Buhari, the leeway enjoyed by agencies and their chief under the immediate past government, to speculate and proffer a merry-go-round- of solutions to the same challenges over and again, at the expense of huge budgetary allocations, without the expected solutions, stands perished.

A stickler for accountability, Buhari will see security across board and begin to adopt a more transparent, accountable and results driven-approach to dispensing with hitherto abused funds like security votes, arms procurement budgets etc., and the mysteries surrounding them and their custodians.

Troop and other allied security agency top-brass, particularly those who have served while he was in service know too well that the passion and drive President Buhari has for goal-setting and goal-getting are not negotiable.

Security for the nation will see a boost; no less its proponents and custodians; and for the expected boost, there will be commensurate expected results… not excuses, stories/polemics, or ineptitude.

National Security Chiefs no less, all and sundry in the security sector must be prepared to do just that i.e. secure Nigeria, or give way to those who can. Interesting and promising are the days ahead for our security as a Nation.

What is your advice to the Buhari’s government in the area of security? 
Buhari’s government should approach security from two key dimensions namely national security and regional security dimensions.

National security as a concept remains the fulcrum which anchors other security sub-sets, the non-realisation of which makes national security itself untenable.

Security here; however, a white paper as presented to the Federal Government by the Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah-led Roundtable on National Security, my contributions on National Security for home and country.

On regional security, our country and its sheer size must come to terms with the implications this has for our security or insecurity as it were. Nigeria, particularly her security Chiefs foremost of which will be the President need to pay more attention to regional security in ways like never before.

Strategic Intelligence acquisition and usage must come to inform our regional security focus and perceptions, as happenings within the region will almost-always have immediate or long-run telling effects on our Nation.

Various mid-crisis security meets between countries in the West Africa region cannot amount to much if ab-initio strategic intelligence proceeds are not gathered over years, and exploited to pre-empt, prevent, or protect the Nation; not less so, to hone national and regional security policies directional thrusts, with a measure of futuristic accuracy, given socio-economic and political trends in the region, past and present.

These call for intellectual rigour on the part of our public security agency office holders.

This way Nigeria can exploit her abundant prospects and potentials of truly becoming a regional security power in the sub-region.

Will you say that the immediate past government of President Jonathan did well in the area of insecurity especially in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency?
Not at all; President Jonathans approach to the Boko Haram issue was considerably faltered by a cross section of intrigues, contradictions and persona, whose roles and contribution more or less complicated issues.

Sadly, a President can only be as good as his cabinet, thus he takes the blame or glory as the case may be.