President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate preparation of a comprehensive National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan to strengthen coordination among Nigeria’s defence, intelligence and security agencies.
The President gave the directive on Wednesday at the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House, Abuja, stressing the need for a coherent framework to respond effectively to evolving security threats across the country.
Under the directive, the President’s Special Adviser on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa, will coordinate and provide secretariat support for a nine-man committee constituted to prepare the strategic defence operations plan.
The committee comprises the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu; Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa; Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Muhammad Matawalle; Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas.
Also on the committee are the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Ajayi, and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Muhammed Muhammed.
President Tinubu said the new framework would establish a common understanding of the threats confronting Nigeria, the operational objectives to be achieved and the capabilities required to tackle them.
He cited recent security successes, including the rescue of pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, as evidence of what could be achieved through stronger coordination among defence, security and intelligence agencies.
“The operation demonstrated what can be achieved when our agencies work together with a clear objective and the necessary intelligence,” the President said.
Tinubu observed that operational requirements were often considered individually without adequate reference to an agreed national threat assessment or unified medium-term plan.
According to him, this situation makes coordination more difficult and can limit the efficient deployment of national security resources.
The National Threat Assessment will identify the principal threats facing the country, determine their relative urgency and establish operational objectives for addressing them.
The Strategic Defence Operations Plan will then translate the assessment into clear operational priorities, identifying the forces and capabilities required in each theatre, existing capability gaps, equipment and support requirements, as well as an implementation timetable.
The committee may also consult or co-opt representatives of other ministries, departments and agencies where their participation is considered necessary.
The President directed the committee to commence work immediately and submit the completed National Threat Assessment and Strategic Defence Operations Plan for his consideration and approval within 90 days.
Once approved, the plan will become the principal framework for coordinating military and defence operations over the medium term.
It will also provide the basis for a corresponding multi-year defence expenditure and procurement plan, with the aim of ensuring that resources are channelled towards agreed operational priorities and critical national security requirements.
President Tinubu further directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the National Security Adviser to take all necessary steps to give immediate effect to the directives.
The statement was signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, on August 19, 2026.