President Muhammadu Buhari has urged heads of security and defence services to promote and implement comprehensive security philosophies of joint efforts and synergy through interagency cooperation to address the nation’s security challenge.

Buhari made the call at the graduation of the National Defence College Course 28 on Thursday in Abuja.

The President, who was represented by the Minister of Defence, Maj.-Gen Bashir Magashi (Rtd.) said this would help to create enabling environment to overcome the security challenge in the country.

Buhari said that in spite of various challenges in the country which included insecurity, unemployment, COVID-19 pandemic among others, the nation had remained strong and vibrant in all forms.

“In spite of all of these, our faith in the nation is unshaken. Our resolve and will to take the nation to greater heights is strong,” he said.

He said that there was need to work together and get back on track as a way forward.

According to him, this will require a fundamental philosophy of deliberative, continuous and consolidated improvement in all aspects of our national life.

“We must continuously harness the strengths of our national diversities; we must promote “Nigeria first” in all our doings; we must bridge political divides and engage in political re-engineering based on equity and mutual trust,” the president said.

According to him, there is need to create enabling security environment for the country to achieve its desired goals.

“`This is the path for all the armed forces, the Nigeria police, intelligence and security agencies and other significant state and non-state actors engaged in the provision of security.

“Moving forward, the armed forces and all the security agencies must promote and implement comprehensive security philosophies and measures driven by long established principles of  synergies.

“This should be through interagency cooperation, defence transformation and reorganisation, expansion and modernisation of the military to make it fit for purpose; as well as a high morale of the men and women of the services and security agencies.

“I call on the heads of security and defence services to make these aspirations to fully come to fruitions quickly,” he said.

He said that there were still work to be done in terms of the economic impact on the citizens such as employment generation, poverty eradication and the general conditions of living.

“On corruption, we are more determined than ever before to stay on the path we have chosen in the interest of our dear nation to fight corruption without fear no matter who is involved,” he said.

He commended the National Defence College for sustaining the finest traditions of strategic grooming of selected senior military officers, senior police officers and senior officers from key ministries department and agencies.

“Clearly the college has kept its reputation as the highest level research and scholarship as well as national security and defence policy analysis.

“Government will continue to support the college in the discharge of its mandate. Let me state that your efforts  fit with the vision of government to continuously build national institutions to overcome contemporary challenges and promote nation-building, security and development,” he said.

He also said that the country had put in place measures  to address the challenge of COVID-19,  by launching sustainable plans including stimulus package.

“This is an immediate intervention to ameliorate the impact of COVID-19 so that our economic recovery and growth are not irreparably derailed,” he further said.

Also speaking, Rear Admiral, Markson Kadiri, Commandant,  National Defence College, said that the college since inception, had trained strategic leaders within the country and from friendly nations in Africa and beyond.

According to him, the college in the last 28 years, has trained 2,340 participants in line with best global practices.

Kadiri said that the college in collaboration with the African Union and ECOWAS had also made impact on the continent.

He said that the 107 graduants including 18 foreigners were fully trained and prepared  for the task ahead of them. (NAN)