The Minister of Defence, retired General Christopher Musa, has called for stronger strategies to tackle Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
General Musa made the call in Abuja at the 2nd Policy Colloquium of the ministry of Defence with the theme: “Securing the Frontier: Strategic Defence Architecture, Emerging Technologies and Democratic Integrity in Nigeria.”
He said changing security threats require constant review of the nation’s defence capabilities. He also stressed the need for an integrated approach across land, sea, air and cyber domains.
The Minister said the Federal Government is committed to strengthening national security and modernising the Armed Forces.
He said this will help protect Nigeria’s sovereignty, democratic institutions and national interests.
General Musa identified artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, surveillance and cyber capabilities as key to modern warfare.
He called for investment in these technologies, human capacity and Nigeria’s defence industrial base.
The Minister expressed confidence that the colloquium would produce practical recommendations to strengthen the nation’s defence posture.
Speaking at the occasion, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, represented by the Director General, National Orientation Agency Mr Lanre Onilu said national security now includes the information and cognitive space.
He said artificial intelligence is creating new threats such as deepfakes and coordinated disinformation.
According to him, these can manipulate public opinion, deepen divisions and weaken trust in democratic institutions.
The Minister called for clear and credible government communication, stronger media literacy and closer collaboration among government, technology platforms, the media and academia.
He said the Ministry would continue to work with the Ministry of Defence and other stakeholders to strengthen strategic communication and national resilience.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, Dr Sunday Dare, said effective border management is key to economic integration and regional security.
Dr Dare said Nigeria’s borders are open and legitimate businesses are operating across the major border crossingscalling for continuous border security by relevant government agencies.
In a welcome address, the Special Adviser Media to the Minister of Defence Mrs Leah Katung-Babatunde, said Nigeria’s concept of national defence must go beyond physical borders to cover the digital domain, automated systems, satellite networks, artificial intelligence and information ecosystems.
She stressed the need for greater inter-agency cooperation, forward-looking security strategies and responsible use of emerging technologies, noting that Nigeria must develop local capacity to achieve technological sovereignty rather than remain dependenton imported security solutions.
