President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the immediate development of a comprehensive National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan aimed at improving coordination among Nigeria’s defence, intelligence and security agencies.
The directive was issued on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, during the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House in Abuja, where the President emphasised the need for a unified strategy to address Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
As part of the directive, President Tinubu appointed his Special Adviser on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa, to coordinate and provide secretariat support for an 11-member committee responsible for developing the strategic defence framework.
The committee includes National Security Adviser Malam Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Defence General Christopher Musa; Minister of State for Defence Bello Muhammad Matawalle; Chief of Defence Staff General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; and Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Idi Abbas.
Also serving on the committee are Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Ajayi, and Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Muhammed Muhammed.
According to the President, the proposed National Threat Assessment will establish a shared understanding of the major security threats confronting Nigeria, assess their urgency and set clear operational objectives for tackling them.
The Strategic Defence Operations Plan will then convert the findings of the assessment into practical priorities. It will identify the forces and capabilities required across different operational theatres, highlight capability gaps, determine equipment and logistical requirements and establish a timetable for implementation.
President Tinubu said recent successes recorded by Nigeria’s security agencies had demonstrated the value of effective inter-agency cooperation. He specifically cited the successful rescue of pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State as an example of what can be achieved when security agencies operate with shared objectives and actionable intelligence.
The President observed that security and operational requirements have sometimes been addressed separately, without adequate reference to a common national threat assessment or a unified medium-term strategy. He noted that such an approach could make coordination more difficult and affect the efficient allocation of national resources.
Under the new framework, Nigeria’s defence and security priorities will therefore be considered within a coordinated medium-term plan designed to strengthen operational effectiveness and ensure that available resources are directed towards the country’s most pressing security needs.
The committee has been authorised to consult or co-opt representatives from other ministries, departments and agencies whenever their expertise or participation becomes necessary.
President Tinubu has instructed the committee to begin work immediately and submit the completed National Threat Assessment and Strategic Defence Operations Plan within 90 days for his consideration and approval.
Once approved, the plan is expected to become the principal framework guiding Nigeria’s military and defence operations over the medium term. It will also provide the foundation for a corresponding multi-year defence expenditure and procurement strategy.
The proposed expenditure and procurement framework is expected to align defence spending, equipment acquisition and other support requirements with clearly established operational priorities and national security objectives.
The President further directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the National Security Adviser to take immediate steps to implement the directive.
The development of the five-year strategic framework represents a major effort to strengthen national security coordination, improve defence planning and ensure that Nigeria’s security resources are deployed according to clearly defined priorities.
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Source: State House Press Release, issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy), August 19, 2026.
