The Ministry of Defence signs defence cooperation to deepen collaboration and capabilities, argues
· CHRISTOPHER GWABIN MUSA
· “I pledge to Nigeria my country. To be faithful, loyal, and honest. To serve Nigeria with all my strength. To defend her unity, and uphold her honour and glory. So help me God.”
· I am privileged and honoured to be of service to our great country. Every task I have undertaken reminds me of this national pledge. This vow is the ultimate driver of my policy direction at the Ministry of Defence. I have tasked myself and my lieutenants with a clear operational philosophy: leading by example. The results we have collectively achieved in recent times speak to that commitment.
· The Ministry of Defence is central to the implementation of defence policies in Nigeria. This entails strategic thinking because policy formulation and implementation have far-reaching effects on the overall security architecture in the country. I am aware of this burden of expectation, and this is why I recite the national pledge in my subconscious at every given opportunity. This has remained my guiding principle in the past seven months at the Ministry of Defence. We have experienced difficult moments that tested our resolve to address the security threats in the country, and our responses were systematic and tailor-fit, given the asymmetric nature of some of these threats.
· The transition from military commander to policy strategist happened very fast. The difference for me was essentially that I replaced my woodland camouflage with kaftans and suits. There was little or no effect on my thinking or disposition to issues as a result of the change of attire. I was fully aware of the role of the Ministry of Defence in the security architecture of the country. To this end, I instituted a monthly security operational briefing by the service chiefs to the Ministry of Defence to aid the policy direction and focus of the ministry. This was strategic and intended for an institutional shift aimed at performance reviews to sustain operational momentum in the various theatres of operation across the country. This initiative is a first in the annals of the ministry, and it has ensured that the key drivers of security in the country are all on the same page.
· In moving forward, we decided to revisit the issue of regional collaboration in the fight against insecurity. The level of insecurity in the Sahel region is alarming. Therefore, the need to create buffers by entering regional alliances was not lost on us at the Ministry of Defence. In a major step toward creating regional buffers to protect the country from the heating up of the Sahel, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, graciously granted the Ministry of Defence the authority to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Republic of Cameroon to deepen bilateral defence cooperation along the shared southern border between both countries.
· The key areas in the MoU are enhanced operational coordination, intelligence sharing, logistics support, joint military training, personnel exchange programmes, and strengthened mechanisms for collective responses to emerging security challenges. Signing the defence pact with the Republic of Cameroon was strategic in the sense that both countries are critical stakeholders in enhancing maritime security and safeguarding economic and security interests within the Gulf of Guinea. The Gulf of Guinea has historically been a global hotspot for piracy, armed robbery at sea, oil theft, and other security threats that threaten our collective existence.
· The need for international defence collaborations was also not lost on us at the Ministry of Defence. The world is indeed a global village and no country can boast of a monopoly on solutions. Some countries have what we need, and we need what they have. This explains the military pact signed with the Republic of Türkiye some months back. The Republic of Türkiye is an advanced country in military technology and innovation. It is a household name in defence capabilities. Therefore, the decision to sign a Defence Cooperation Agreement was to deepen military collaboration and enhance our defence capabilities. There have been tangible gains in this regard.
· American forces are in Nigeria. This is one topic that has generated commentaries in the public space. But the success story in the prosecution of the war against terrorism has indeed justified this collaboration. This is a win for Nigeria. It is not, by any stretch of imagination, an infringement on our territorial integrity. Defence pacts are essentially about collaborations and not infringements. This is what the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group entails. I will find time to write exclusively on this in the future, focusing on the concept of the “Status of Forces Agreement” in international defence collaborations.
· At the Ministry of Defence, we are expanding our frontiers and revamping old defence alliances. For example, I recently received in audience a high-powered delegation from the United Kingdom, led by Jonathan Powell, its National Security Adviser, for the 4th UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP4) Dialogue. The United Kingdom is a long-time ally of Nigeria. Our history is shared, and the importance of reviewing our defence understanding to reflect the realities of our security challenges is of great importance, in line with the new policy mandate of the Ministry of Defence as approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
· There are also substantial efforts toward improving indigenous defence capabilities. Some weeks back, I attended the Omniverse Africa 3.0 Summit in Lagos, where I served as the Special Guest of Honour and a keynote speaker. I delivered a paper titled “The 70/30 Rule: Why Nigeria’s Security and Innovation Agendas are the Same National Project”. The focus of my paper was that “The future requires us to complement courage with technology, foresight, industrial capability, and innovation to build the capabilities that will secure the nation tomorrow.”
· This position is evident in the ongoing reforms at the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) to create an ecosystem where defence investments drive economic growth, high-tech jobs, university research, and new commercial markets. This is a fundamental necessity given the realisation that our security challenges are local, the actors are local, and the ultimate solution is local.
· These are some of the areas where we have succeeded at the Ministry of Defence, and this has been possible through the tremendous support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other stakeholders in the security value chain. Are we resting on our oars? We can’t and we won’t until criminal elements among us are dealt with. Our pledge is our strength, and our strength is our pledge.
· General Musa,(rtd) CFR, is the Honourable Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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