President Bola Tinubu has expressed his commitment to transforming the nation’s security architecture in the near future. During his first official meeting with security and intelligence heads, led by Chief of Defence Staff General Lucky Irabor at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Tinubu assured the service chiefs and heads of security and intelligence agencies that his administration will not tolerate oil theft and urged them to crush anyone involved in such activities.
In addition, Tinubu emphasized that Nigeria should not be overwhelmed by security challenges while other countries are progressing and achieving remarkable accomplishments. Following the meeting, the National Security Adviser, Major Gen. Bafana Monguno (retd), informed State House correspondents that the President had instructed the security agencies to develop their blueprints.
The gathering served as an opportunity for the President to receive briefings on the activities of various security formations and share his own philosophy and expectations with the security heads. The meeting, lasting approximately two hours, consisted of the President and Commander in Chief of the armed forces, the Chief of Staff, service chiefs, Inspector General of Police, and heads of intelligence agencies.
Tinubu expressed his appreciation for the armed forces, intelligence agencies, and paramilitary agencies for their sacrifices and loyalty in defending the country against terrorism, insurgency, banditry, oil theft, sea robbery, piracy, and other threats. He reiterated his determination to build on previous successes, reverse setbacks, and bring about positive change. Tinubu emphasized the need for the security agencies to intensify their efforts in moving the country forward and adopt contemporary security measures that address the current requirements.
The President stressed the importance of coordinated national security, emphasizing the need for effective collaboration and a clearinghouse for all agencies involved. He strongly discouraged conflicting and uncoordinated actions among the security agencies, insisting on compliance with coordination, frequent consultations, and timely reporting, which should be acted upon promptly.
Tinubu also announced plans for significant reforms in the security architecture, with particular attention to addressing challenges in the maritime domain and combatting oil theft. He made it clear that oil theft would not be tolerated, and urged the security agencies to develop a blueprint promptly, as time was of the essence.
The President emphasized the welfare and support of operatives in the field, stating that they must be adequately equipped, motivated, and provided with all necessary resources. Tinubu assured that he would do everything within his power to enable the operational elements of the armed forces, while emphasizing the need for intelligence agencies to facilitate their work by providing crucial intelligence for successful operations.