President to Review National Defence Framework, Evaluates Ongoing Operations

President Bola Tinubu has announced the administration's intention to review the national defence framework, assess ongoing counter-insurgency and anti-banditry operations, and harmonise inter-agency security strategies to ensure nationwide peace and security. During a strategic meeting with the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, President Tinubu expressed satisfaction with the progress in securing vulnerable communities in Nigeria and emphasised his administration's commitment to supporting the Ministry of Defence.

The Minister provided a detailed briefing on current defence initiatives, logistical aspects, and proposed reforms to improve troop morale, military hardware, and infrastructure across all regions. General Musa, the Special Guest of Honour at the High-Level International Forum on the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), called for the repositioning of the MNJTF to effectively address evolving security threats in the Lake Chad Basin and the wider Sahel.

He highlighted the task force's role in countering terrorism, transnational crime, and other forms of insecurity for the past 11 years. General Musa urged stakeholders to reassess the MNJTF's structure, capabilities, intelligence, command, control, logistics, and financing in light of changing security dynamics in the Sahel and evolving international support patterns.

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, welcomed the forum as a crucial platform for discussing the MNJTF's experience, relevance, and future in addressing transnational security threats. He emphasised the need for sustained cooperation, intelligence sharing, interoperability, mutual trust, and adaptability to emerging challenges in the region.