The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa, says true and lasting national security must be anchored on defeating ignorance, conquering hopelessness, and defending democratic values.
A statement on Saturday by his Special Adviser on Media, Leah Katung-Babatunde, said the minister said this while speaking on Friday at the June 12 Special Edition of The Platform Nigeria held in Lagos.
Musa said that meaningful economic gains could only be sustained when security was guaranteed.
“When we speak of national defence, the instinct is to focus on boots on the ground, air power, or intelligence gathering.
“But true and lasting security is anchored on one critical element; the defeat of ignorance and the conquest of hopelessness.
“No democracy can flourish where fear dominates daily life,” he said.
Providing a balanced assessment of Nigeria’s security situation, the minister acknowledged milestones recorded by the Armed Forces, including the neutralisation of key terrorist leaders and the disruption of major criminal networks.
He noted however that modern threats such as banditry, kidnapping, cybercrime, and transnational violent extremism were highly adaptive and increasingly interconnected.
Musa also paid tribute to the sacrifices that birthed Nigeria’s democracy and warned that modern security threats required a rapid, technology-driven evolution in the nation’s defence strategy.
