The National Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser, Rear Admiral YEM Musa (rtd) hosted the PhD Students of the Institute of Governance and Development Studies, Nasarawa State University, Keffi who were on Study Tour to the Centre, on Monday 5 February, 2024.
While addressing the Students, Rear Admiral Musa stated that Nigeria would surmount her challenges of terrorism and other forms of insecurity in view of the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and on the strength of ONSA under the watch of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. He enjoined Nigerians to be patriotic and believe that the country would be a better place hence the challenges confronting the country would give way through concerted efforts of well-meaning individuals and groups.
”I have no doubt that Nigeria would surmount the challenges of terrorism and other forms of insecurity in the nearest future. Currently, the security situation in the North East and other parts of the country is gradually improving. I believe that our deliberations and proffered suggestions/way forward would further enhance our National security,” he said.
He explained that the threat environment has always been dynamic and required consistent appraisals and espousal of proactive strategies to tackle envisaged challenges, noting that the threat outlook would therefore demand multi-stakeholder collaboration across government and the citizenry in a well-coordinated whole-of- government and whole-of-society approaches to guarantee national security.
In line with this, the academia, according to him ought to contribute in revitalizing security in the country for national development through research, education and policy engagement to enhance policy and effective decision-making at national and sub-national levels. He further added that the institutions of higher learning also need to sustain engagements with policymakers and security agencies to generate evidence-based recommendations for improving security in Nigeria. “By participating in policy discussions and providing expertise, you can influence the development of effective security strategies”, he said.
The National Coordinator urged the academia to focus on building the capacity of next generation of leaders and security professionals by offering courses and programmes in security studies, peace and conflict resolution, declaring that “By providing a solid understanding of security issues, academia can help build a skilled workforce capable of addressing security challenges effectively”.
Earlier, the leader of the students on the study tour, Professor Andrew E. Zamani commended the National Coordinator for the privilege granted the students for interaction with the management of the centre in order to build on their knowledge, expressing the fact that the repository of the knowledge of terrorism and security generally reside at ONSA.
Professor Zamani disclosed that Nasarawa State University remained proud of the National Coordinator as one of its previous PhD students whose thesis on terrorism remained unmatched in the country.
He said a report that would identify areas of further research and collaboration would be written at the end of the study tour for presentation to the NCTC-ONSA.
Presentations were also made by various directorates and departments to provide overall view of the relevance of the centre. Highlights of the event include the presentation of some of the publications of the centre to Professor Zamani for the library of the university. A plague was presented to the National Coordinator by Professor Zamani as a sign of the university’s appreciation to ONSA.
