Our national security is multi-dimensional. It has gone beyond armed defence to include protection of democratic and constitutional values like food security, peace, human, political and economic security. Resolving the unfair access to democratic dividends to reduce internal armed conflicts, insurgencies, crimes and militancy

National security is about ensuring the reign of peace and stability in the country so that national objectives are achieved, and the nation's sovereignty is sustained. As such, the idea of national security is linked with vital sectors like foreign policy, external defence, economy, education, internal security, healthcare delivery, cyber security, science and technology, policing, agriculture and so on.

The current security challenges facing Nigeria can be attributed to a large number of factors including high rate of unemployment, especially among the youth, illiteracy, extreme poverty, corruption, bad governance, discrimination and politics of exclusion, and religious extremism. There are also the issues of climate change, porous nature of Nigerian borders, increasing population explosion, hardship occasioned by economic recession, and illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons.  Other persistent challenges are:

• Insurgency and acts of terrorism in the north-east, militancy in the Niger Delta, herdsmen-farmers conflicts, cultism, politically orchestrated acts of subversion, ethnic and religious conflicts, intercommunal clashes, economic sabotage, youth restiveness, and sectarian violence; and
• These are compounded by piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, crude oil theft, oil pipeline vandalism, uncontrolled rural banditry, organized crime including drug and human trafficking, kidnapping and hostage taking, high rate of substance abuse especially among the youth, armed robbery, secessionist agitations, and acts of lawlessness on our roads. 

All the issues stated above are capable of triggering upheavals of immeasurable consequences if the right governance architecture is not put in place. 

Policy Objectives

Our objective is to contain the current challenges of security in Nigeria through the deployment of  good governance, visionary leadership and politics of inclusiveness that will reduce citizens' frustration and alienation and eliminate the compulsion to take up arms against the society or fellow countrymen. Our priority will be to restore the citizens' confidence in Nigeria as one indivisible, indissoluble, ethnically diverse but strong country to protect them and secure socio-economic benefits.

What We Will Do

In general terms, the following priorities are to be pursued:

• Re-activate meaningful registration at birth as a way to reduce crime and protect Nigerians.
• Conduct the next national population census as the basis for further development planning and as part of vital security registration in the country.
• Dealing with insurgency using alternative approaches to conflict resolution, such as diplomacy; intelligence; improved border control; traditional institutions; and promotion of good neighbourliness.

In specific terms, we intend to:

a.        Restructure and Decentralize Security Institutions by:

• Tackling the issue of non-cooperation and coordination among security agencies through technology using cutting-edge technologies to minimize duplication of efforts, guard against mishandling of information, while enhancing information sharing;
• Restructuring the entire security sector as well as strengthening peace and security mechanisms, in order to eliminate insecurity in different parts of the country;
• Training and re-training of all cadres of security personnel mandatory to expose them to trends in contemporary security management;
• Enacting legislation that will protect information providers and the privacy of the information provided;
• Commencing the gradual process of instituting the state police in line with the principle of restructuring;
• Establishing a unified, centralized and coordinated Vital Registration and Security database, where necessary personal data of all residents are stored for national security, economic planning and developmental purposes.
  
  Investing in modern technology, both foreign and local, such as the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), as cheaper and more effective means of achieving the national security goals, including the fight against insurgency; and
• Reviewing the activities of Local Vigilantes and ethnic militia groups.

b.       Promote Regional Security Cooperation by:

• Pursuing close relations with the West and Central African countries in our foreign policy commitment towards the promotion of our national security interest; and
• Ensuring our security agencies are well equipped with appropriate technology and instruments to deal with the increasing criminality in the Gulf of Guinea, and the porous nature of our borders, crossborder crime, and illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons across our land and maritime borders.

c. Deal with Terrorism, Kidnapping and Other Crimes by:

• Adopting a more effective strategy in the fight against Boko Haram (BH), the biggest security threat facing Nigeria today, by introducing an innovative radical approach to the indiscriminate hit and run tactics of BH; and
• Equipping the Police with necessary technology and build their capacity for pre-emptive and preventive action on kidnapping at the planning stage and ability to track down perpetrators of the crime whenever they occur.

d. Resolve Militancy Issue in the Niger Delta by:

• Redressing the Niger Delta militancy through a robust solution to the degrading environmental and development problems of the region;
• Implementing, genuinely, the Niger-Delta Master Plan especially the clean-up exercise and promotion of environmentally sustainable programmes needed to address the continued degradation and pollution of the region;
• Moving the Niger Delta Ministry to the region to make it closer to the stakeholders;
• Addressing the continued lack of infrastructure and social services in the regions;
• Taking inventory of infrastructural provisions in the different States of the region and address the underlying structural issues that have led to the current levels of under-development of the region;
• Creating a high-level advocacy and awareness drive to launch the promotion of rule of law and access to justice in the region;
• Institutionalizing the process of corporate social responsibility through budgetary commitment and stakeholder engagements within the region; and
• Carrying out a comprehensive review and impact assessment of the Amnesty Programs to ascertain benefits to the stakeholders in the region since inception (not just politicians and contractors).

e. Improve Civil-Military Relations by:

• Ensuring strict adherence of the Nigerian military to its constitutional responsibilities.
• Enforcing respect for the rule of law and human rights on the part of the military.
• Encouraging the military to build bridges of friendship with civilians in communities of their security operation, in order to earn their trust and contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the deployment. f. Strengthen the National Security Council by:
• Invigorating, with greater commitment, the National Security Council's advisory role on matters related to public security; and 
• Working out a programme of regular reporting by heads of security agencies to the National Security Council, incorporating regular assessment of organizations and agencies established by law for ensuring the security of the country.

g. Handle the North East Development Issues by:

• Delivering effective and efficient intervention funds, especially those relating to the Presidential Initiative, in order to make it more functional and reaching the intended people.
• Returning IDPs back to their homes and schools.
• Rebuilding damaged infrastructure.
• Strengthening the North East Development Fund and ensuring its immediate take off.
• Undertaking community engagement programmes in partnership with community and religious leaders in the region to address the issues of religious fundamentalism especially among the youths.  
• Embarking upon a complete overhaul of the security forces and developing a strategy to address the declining security situation in the region.