Mungonu and Nigeria’s security strategy

One of the desires of Nigerians before President Muhammadu Buhari came on board in 2015 was the need to tinker with and modernise the country’s security architecture which was then at its lowest ebb. While not a few persons had expected the newly sworn in president to quickly change the heads of security agencies, the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) was one particular position they watched with consummate exactitude to see who will occupy such sensitive office.

One of the considerations for appointing a helmsman for a sensitive security position like the NSA is bravery and track records. That was why many were not surprised at the decision of President Buhari to appoint Gen. Babagana Monguno. Unlike other military chiefs, Gen. Monguno’s work is unseen because it is strategic. It is far more important than all the military chiefs.

The work of the office is enormous. His office as security adviser is the coordinating room between the office of the president and all security related matters in the country. These include all the military formations, purchase of all military hardware, security and safety of Nigerians both within and outside the shores of the country, curtailing smuggling within the country’s borders. In one of his proactive moves to foster national security and economy, when it was discovered that fertiliser was being used to manufacture Improvised Explosive Device (IED) by terrorists, he immediately put a stop to it.

Again, analysts have described the conception and launching of the National Security Strategy by President Buhari last year as a masterstroke. The unveiling of the security roadmap came just a day after the president unveiled the first Made-in-Nigeria Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles by the military at the opening ceremony of the 2019 Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference in Kaduna.

Gen. Monguno’s works have continued to attract accolades from Nigerians and the president himself when he said at the launch of the initiative that, “the security roadmap strategy represents a thoughtful, strategic and practical expression of the resolve to make Nigeria safe for development, investment, growth and prosperity for everybody.”

Since the launch, the national security strategy has become the cornerstone document that enshrines the deep abiding commitment of President Buhari to ensuring that Nigeria is a secure, peaceful and prosperous nation.

Gen. Mungonu is focused and has human security as his core philosophy, which is a shift from the state-centric orientation to a new paradigm where the safety and wellbeing of the individual citizens are the primary bases for all national security measures. Gen. Mungonu has not only scored high in the Northeast but the whole gamut of Nigeria’s security engagements. Like magic, he has crippled insurgency in the North-east, giving the government leverage to lay enduring foundation for sustainable peace and development in the region.

Today, Nigerians have almost forgotten the conflicts between farmers and herders, banditry and various form have been brought to the barest minimum. Now that the issue of insecurity is being tackled headlong by Gen. Monguno and his team, all the government of President Buhari needs to do now is to concentrate on economic diversification and fighting corruptions, improvements in education, healthcare and agriculture.

All that is required of Nigerians now is join hands with the NSA and other security agencies to breathe life into the National Security Strategy thinking with emphasis on overall human security. Since independence, this is the true security document of permanent nature. It has become a compass for Nigeria because it emerged after a long time consultative and participatory process that elicited contributions primarily from our security, intelligence, law enforcement agencies and the armed forces. Other stakeholders such as ministries, department and agencies and the civil society also made contributions to this strategy.

Managing Nigeria’s territory is such a huge task if one considers the fact that Nigeria has 4,040 kilometres of land borders, you will appreciate what Gen. Mongonu is doing to keep the country safe. Looking at the upsurge in armed banditry, it is part of the sphere of transnational organised crime which is affecting Nigeria.

Also, taking into account the Niger Delta criminal gangs, which are equally linked to pipeline vandalism, oil theft, piracy and sea robbery in the Gulf of Guinea, we all have to appreciate the effort of Gen. Mongonu in tackling the security challenges.

These crimes against the country have brought about untold problems and placed our maritime economy in derelict and at the same time, putting in a difficult situation our energy infrastructure. In all of these situations, traditional law enforcement agencies have used various approaches and these approaches are complemented by the robust responses of our Armed Forces, security, and intelligence agencies. Nonetheless, with this National Security Strategy, Nigeria has decided to embark on a comprehensive and multi-dimensional approach to solving these challenges.

 Under his watch as NSA, Monguno has succeeded in creating more synergy between Nigeria and the international intelligence community. His tenacity, straightforwardness and consistency of direction have assisted Nigeria in acquiring modern military hardware from world powers to combat terrorism without heavy financial burden.

His success in this regard is not farfetched. Monguno was the best officer of the Nigerian Army Training and Doctoring Command (TRADOC), Minna. His phylosophy on intelligence gathering was also brought to bear at in Geneva, where his principles and style of fighting terrorism and other related offences across the globe was highly commended.

No doubt, General Monguno is a gifted intelligence officer, but certainly he cannot do it alone. He needs the cooperation of Nigerians to completely eradicate these menaces.

Ibrahim is director, communication and strategic planning, PSC

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