The President, Bola Tinubu, on Monday, warned security agencies against disharmony and intelligence hoarding, noting that these will frustrate Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts.
“You can’t have disharmony in an orchestra. We must focus on one tunnel…share information, share intelligence…You cannot hoard information; you cannot hoard intelligence,” Tinubu said when he toured the new Office of the National Security Adviser and facilities at the National Counterterrorism Centre, Abuja.
The Director of Information, State House, Abiodun Oladunjoye, disclosed this in a statement he signed on Monday titled ‘At new ONSA building, President Tinubu tasks security, intelligence agencies on sharing information to counter terrorism.’
The warning comes four days after Tinubu told Service Chiefs at the General Security Appraisal Committee meeting that he would not tolerate security agencies working at cross-purposes.
The President, on Monday, said, “The effort of the entire armed forces of this country must be put together in a way that there will be one single focus on securing the country.”
Tinubu added that, “I am glad that Nigeria is on the path to succeed. We will, I assure you. We will make it a priority and that is why I am here this morning.”
The President also said his administration had recognised that in order to achieve economic revival, prosperity, and development, security should be of optimum priority.
“Terrorism is not unique to Nigeria alone. It is across the world and we have to fight it. We have to eliminate it completely. If we, as Nigerians, are looking for economic revival, prosperity and development, then we have to give priority to security.
“What I have seen here is a demonstration of intelligence efforts to counter terrorism. This must be backed by knowledge.
“Counterterrorism that is not backed by knowledge and intelligence is not going to be of any service to any nation. We are going to work on that together,” he said.
In his remarks, the NSA, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.), thanked the President for making the visit his first engagement outside the Villa, saying that “it reinforces his commitment, dedication and inflexible rigidity to ensuring that the security misfortunes of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and by extension the sub-region are overcome within the shortest possible time.”
