Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has suggested to the military how the perennial security crisis in the country can be tackled.
The number two man admonished Nigeria’s military and other security forces to adopt smart ways of battling bandits and terrorists.
Osinbajo issued the admonition on Tuesday when he spoke at the college’s 30th anniversary and Course 30 graduation dinner and award on Tuesday in Abuja.
Represented by the special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on economic matters, Adeyemi Dipeolu, he challenged the Course 30 participants of the National Defence College (NDC) to be innovative in developing national security and defence strategy to tackle worsening insecurity.
The vice president noted that security was a societal responsibility that could only be achieved in unison with a diverse range of state and civil society actors.
He urged the military and other security agencies to recognise the regional, continental and international ramifications of the threats facing nations in developing security and defence strategies.
“You must embrace smart ways of managing society in a pervasively digital universe as contemporary technologies have introduced new levels of complexity to an already challenging security environment,” said Mr Osinbajo.
He added, “Technological revolution in the present era also avails you of a broad range of tools with which you can protect our vital interests and safeguard our people. You must be relentlessly innovative in exploiting these options.”
He, however, advised them to be sensitive to the needs and demands of the people who “are the primary reference of national security as the spear and shield of our nation.”