Military Operations Alone Not Enough To Achieve National Security, Says CDS Musa

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has stressed that military actions alone cannot achieve national security in Nigeria.

According to him, military action is only just 30 per cent of what is needed to attain national security, while the remaining 70% depends on political and socio-economic interventions.

General Musa stated this during the Roundtable Discussion on Nigeria’s Security and National Interest, organized by the National Counter-Terrorism Centre under the Office of the National Security Adviser, in collaboration with Defence Correspondents, in Abuja.

The CDS who spoke on the theme, “National Security and National Interest: A Development Journalism Approach for the Defence Beat,” emphasized the need for joint efforts in tackling insecurity in Nigeria.

He said, “In a world fraught with echoes of conflict, uncertainty, security dilemmas, ambiguous and complex geopolitical challenges, the narrative surrounding national security often emerges from a narrow lens. It is easy to find that the focus on national security is often skewed and confined to discussions of military strength as well as the immediate threats posed by hostile state and non-state actors.

“Although these views are essential, it is important that our understanding of national security is expanded to incorporate broader social, economic, and environmental elements which are hallmarks of what is termed ‘development journalism’.

“It is also necessary to note that the actions of the military in ensuring Nigeria’s national security account for only 30 per cent of the overall efforts required while the remaining 70 per cent for maintaining Nigeria’s peace and security rest on the socio-economic elements of the country.”

General Musa went further to highlight the roles journalism could play in the enhancement of security in the country.

He noted that Military efforts to safeguard Nigeria’s sovereignty could be enhanced through development journalism which is a specialized form of journalism that focuses on the social, economic, and political development of a nation.

“The adoption of a development journalism approach allows for more active collaboration with journalists and media organizations, enabling them to play a more effective role in promoting national cohesion and stability thereby advancing Nigeria’s national interest.

“Therefore, our national security cannot and should not solely be reliant on the strength of the Armed Forces of Nigeria rather it should be strengthened by Nigeria’s educated, healthy and socially cohesive population underpinned by development journalism,” he added.