President Bola Tinubu says the country will prevail against the adversaries undermining its peace and security, admitting that Nigerians are living in the worst situation apart from the civil war years.
Mr Tinubu, represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, gave the assurance while inaugurating the Headquarters of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), on Thursday in Abuja.
The president said his confidence was anchored on the unwavering commitment of members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and the intelligence agencies, including the DSS, NIA, and, of course, the DIA.
“You have all led me in no doubt that you have no other higher obligation than to serve and secure this nation of ours,” he said.
The president said he had made the task of securing every inch of the country a priority, adding that he had no intention of the sacred duty. He emphasised that the DIA was a key agency in the country’s security architecture, primarily providing intelligence to the armed forces and the defence ministry.
Mr Tinubu said, “Our country is bedevilled by a myriad of security challenges across the six geopolitical zones of the entire nation. Since we became an independent nation about 64 years ago, except for the period of the civil war spanning 1967 all the way to 1970, at no time have we been faced with multiple threats than in recent times.
“We not only face physical threats but also economic and digital threats. In our bid to combat physical threats, we deploy the armed forces in almost all the to assist the civil authorities.
“Some of the other threats you will have to contend with behind your computers using, if necessary, artificial intelligence, enabling our military to know the position of the enemies or the games they are up to.”
Mr Tinubu said it was not a coincidence that the government had made deliberate efforts to ensure the general upliftment of the DIA, which was created in 1986.
Mr Tinubu, however, promised to sustain the provisional welfare, training and other administrative and logistics requirements of the agency and the entire armed forces to enhance their productivity while carrying out their mandates.
According to him, a conducive and well-equipped intelligence outfit would positively impact the intelligence gathering efforts, processing, and timely dissemination to the various arms of the military. NAN
