By Ismaila Chafe
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Armed Forces and other security agencies to provide adequate security measures to safeguard lives and properties of all citizens across the country.
The President gave the directive on Thursday when he met with security chiefs at the presidential Villa, Abuja.
Addressing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Chief of defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, pledged to carry out the president’s directive to the later.
He added that the security chiefs briefed the president on the security situation across the country and beyond.
“The meeting went very well. What we did was to give the President and Commander-in-Chief the security situation across the country and even beyond our borders.
”We told him what the current situation is and we also got a mandate from him as to how he wants the security disposition across the country to be.
On whether they intend to change their strategies, General Irabor answered in the affirmative.
“Change is constant, so all strategies that we have applied hitherto, we will realign and reinvent them to be able to meet the expectations of the moment and that is precisely what we will be doing,”he said.
Also addressing the correspondents, the National Security Adviser, retired Maj.- Gen. Babagana Monguno stated that the president appreciated the sacrifices of the Armed Forces and other security agencies, toward securing the nation.
He said: “First and foremost, he appreciated the Armed Forces and intelligence agencies and the wider paramilitary agencies for the work they have been doing in the past couple of years – their sacrifice, their loyalty.
”He also paid tribute to those who died in defending this country, from the great big menace of terrorism, insurgency banditry, oil theft, sea robbery and piracy.
“The President has made it very clear that he’s determined to build on whatever gains have been made and to reverse misfortunes and turn the tide in our favour.
”As far as he’s concerned, this country should not be on its knees struggling, while other countries are walking and achieving greater heights.
”The President has revealed that in moving this country forward, he needs the security agencies to redouble their efforts.
”He also pointed out that his own philosophy is one of contemporary security measures dealing with the requirements of the time.
”He has made it very clear that he will not accept a situation in which our fortunes keep declining.”
The NSA also quoted the president as advising all security agencies to work towards achieving one single purpose.
”Working at cross purposes and colliding with each other is not something that he will condone.
”He has made it very, very clear that all the security agencies must comply with the demands of coordination, with the demands of frequent consultations and also timely reports which must be acted on.
”He is going to embark on a lot of reforms in terms of our security architecture, he is going to take a closer look at our misfortunes in the maritime domain, focusing particularly on the issues of oil theft that is not going to tolerate,” he added.(NAN)
