President Bola Ahmed Tinubu visited the Office of National Security Adviser and the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in Abuja on Monday, emphasizing the significance of sharing information and intelligence among security and intelligence agencies.
The President highlighted that withholding such resources could hinder the progress in combating terrorism.
During the tour, President Tinubu acknowledged the efforts made in countering terrorism and commended the state-of-the-art facilities at the two locations. He emphasized that security should be given top priority to achieve economic revival, prosperity, and development.
“It is a great joy to see that we are getting proactive resources to prepare ourselves.
“Terrorism is not unique to Nigeria alone. It is across the world and we have to fight it. We have to eliminate it completely.
“If we as Nigerians are looking for economic revival, prosperity and development, then we have to give priority to security.
Speaking on the global nature of terrorism, President Tinubu underscored the need for a united front in eliminating this menace. He stressed that counter-terrorism efforts must be supported by knowledge and intelligence, emphasizing that disharmony and hoarding of information would be counterproductive.
President Tinubu called for a coordinated and united approach among the armed forces to ensure the country’s security. He urged the agencies to collaborate, share information, and work diligently to achieve their common goal.
“What I have seen here is a demonstration of intelligence efforts to counter-terrorism. This must be backed by knowledge.
“Counter terrorism that is not backed by knowledge and intelligence is not going to be of any service to any nation. We are going to work on that together.
“The effort of the entire armed forces of this country must be put together in a way that there will be one single focus on securing the country.
“You can’t have disharmony in an orchestra. We must focus on one tunnel; coordinate, share information, share intelligence and work harder.
“You cannot hoard information. You cannot hoard intelligence. I am glad that Nigeria is on the path to succeed. We will, I assure you.
“We will make it a priority and that is why I am here this morning.”
Expressing his commitment to supporting the nation’s security architecture, President Tinubu described the tour of the new ONSA building as significant. He pledged his willingness to do whatever necessary to reinforce and strengthen the country’s security.
The National Security Adviser, Major-General Babagana Monguno (Rtd), expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for prioritizing the visit. He emphasized the President’s unwavering dedication to overcoming security challenges in Nigeria and the sub-region. Monguno assured the President of ONSA’s total commitment and dedication to fulfilling the promises made to the Nigerian people regarding security.
President Tinubu’s visit to the ONSA and NCTC demonstrated his resolve to enhance information sharing and intelligence cooperation among security agencies. With this renewed focus on collaboration, Nigeria aims to bolster its efforts in countering terrorism and ensuring the nation’s security.
