The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), has identified national unity, modern technology and a strengthened national identification system as critical to addressing Nigeria’s security challenges and protecting lives and livelihoods across the country.
Musa stated this while participating as a panellist at the Abuja Round Table, tagged “Promise to Proof: The Renewed Hope Conversation,” during a session titled “Safe to Farm, Travel and Trade: Protecting Lives and Livelihoods in Every Community.”
According to an official statement signed by Leah Katung-Babatunde, Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Defence, Musa stressed that Nigeria’s security challenges require a combination of technological innovation, effective intelligence gathering and greater national cohesion.
He called for the strategic reinstatement of modernised, technology-driven tollgates across major highways, describing them as important non-kinetic security infrastructure capable of helping security agencies monitor vehicular movements and track criminal elements.
The Minister explained that the deployment of automated tolling systems would eliminate the need for cash transactions while enabling the electronic capture of vehicle registration numbers and the monitoring of movements across interstate routes.
“With modern Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and automation, toll collection no longer requires cash transactions. Automated systems can instantly capture vehicle registration numbers, track vehicular movements across interstate corridors, and seamlessly trace or apprehend suspects,” he said.
He acknowledged that the previous tollgate system was associated with operational abuses but maintained that modern technology could address such shortcomings and make tollgates effective security checkpoints.
Musa also emphasised the need for a reliable and centralised national identification system, advocating the integration of unique identification numbers, facial recognition and biometric data to strengthen identity verification and close existing security loopholes.
According to him, a comprehensive digital identification architecture would improve intelligence gathering, eliminate identity ambiguities and enhance the ability of security agencies to identify and track criminal suspects.
On the military’s involvement in internal security operations, the Defence Minister explained that although the Armed Forces of Nigeria are constitutionally mandated to defend the country’s territorial integrity, their intervention in internal security becomes necessary when challenges exceed the operational capacity of the police.
He, however, expressed concern over the prolonged deployment of military personnel across different regions, particularly in the Northwest, noting that extended operations had resulted in fatigue and prolonged separation from their families.
“Our troops have spent years deployed across regions such as the Northwest, away from their families and loved ones,” he observed.
He disclosed that efforts were underway to strengthen police recruitment, training and operational capacity to enable the force to take greater responsibility for internal security and allow the military to gradually return to its primary constitutional duties.
The Minister said the Federal Government’s objective was to build a more effective civil policing system and transition the country’s security architecture from a reactive approach to a proactive one ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Musa further identified national disunity as a major challenge to Nigeria’s security, insisting that the country’s difficulties were not primarily caused by a lack of resources or military firepower but by divisions among its people.
He urged Nigerians to move beyond ethnic, religious and regional differences, stressing that collective responsibility and mutual understanding were necessary for sustainable peace and national development.
“We must begin to view one another simply as human beings and fellow citizens, rather than dividing ourselves along ethnic, regional, or religious lines,” he urged.
The Defence Minister reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to ensuring that Nigerians can safely farm, travel and conduct legitimate businesses in every part of the country.
