The Minister of Defence, Alhaji Muhammed Badaru Abubakar and Minister of State, Dr Bello Mohammed on Tuesday assumed duty at the Ministry of Defence, Abuja with a promise to put a stop to insurgency activities in the country as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Chief of Defence Staff, CDS General CG Musa led the service chiefs while the Permanent Secretary of the Military, Dr Ibrahim Abubakar Kana led officials of the Ministry to receive the two ministers.
Speaking, Badaru said that he and his colleague, Minister of state, Dr Bello Mohammed had resolved to ensure that the Armed Forces of Nigeria, in collaboration with other security agencies, work as a team to rid the country of security challenges, saying that they owed this duty to the President and Nigerians in general.
He requested a definite time from the service chiefs on phasing away terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, farmers/herders conflict, oil theft, secessionist agitation, cultism, and other emerging violent crimes in the country.
According to him, “the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a goal-setter, an achiever, and a thinker. The President is a macro manager, and he will be on our necks to deliver on security, and I will do the same.
“As time goes on, I will engage you as individuals and groups. As we all know, without security, there will be no investment, and without investment, there will be no economic growth. Even though our food security is threatened, farmers can not farm in their farms because of insecurity in the land.
“The President is ready to give us all the support to do this. From now on, I will ask the service chiefs to give me a timeline and requirements on how we will begin to solve this problem of insecurity.”
The Minister promised that the timelines and the targets would be passed to the President for immediate action
According to him, “the President himself will be monitoring us, and he doesn’t have the patience to work with lazy people. So, all our jobs are at stake, we must therefore deliver for the country. We have resolved and promised that within a year or so, we would have a remarkable change in the security sector.”
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Mohammed, assured that they would leave no stone unturned in their efforts to build a strong defence apparatus that would effectively counter emerging threats in the country.
He declared that the Armed Forces would be modernised and strengthened through investments in advanced weaponry, intelligence gathering capabilities, surveillance systems, and cyber defence infrastructure while there would be transparency and accountability in defense procurements.
According to him, “we will work closely with international partners to acquire cutting-edge technology and expertise that will enhance our defence capabilities. At the same time, we recognize that military might alone can not guarantee lasting security and stability.
“We must address the root causes of conflicts, promote social cohesion, and foster economic development by investing in education, healthcare, job creation, and infrastructure development, we can create an environment where extremism finds no fertile ground to thrive. We will collaborate with relevant ministries and agencies to implement programs that address the socioeconomic disparities that often fuel conflicts.”
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa expressed the willingness of armed forces to support the ministers to succeed in their tour of duties.
In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana said that President Tinubu was committed to addressing the nation’s Security challenges hence his careful selection of the ministers to lead the Armed Forces of Nigeria at this critical period of the country to address it’s security challenges.
The Permanent Secretary who assured the maximum cooperation of the entire workforce of the Ministry to the ministers in the course of their assignments later perfumed the official handing over note from the immediate past defence minister to the new minister.
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