Abuja: Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, has advocated for comprehensive reforms in Nigeria’s security sector and emphasized the importance of research-based solutions to address the country’s security challenges. He voiced these recommendations during his appearance on the Personality Interview Series hosted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Sulaiman highlighted the limitations of relying solely on military hardware and troop deployment, arguing that the traditional approach of viewing security through coercion and weaponry is insufficient. He stressed the need for a holistic security strategy that includes environmental safety, economic stability, and social justice. Sulaiman stated that threats to life are not only posed by guns but also by factors like environmental neglect, hunger, unemployment, and injustice.
The director-general urged the government and policymakers to focus on threat assessment and conflict prevention. He also called on the National Assembly to base security legislation and budgetary allocations on empirical research rather than reactive measures following security breaches. He pointed out that proactive measures would reduce the need for large-scale military spending.
Sulaiman suggested that NILDS prioritizes research, evaluation, and prevention in its security strategy, emphasizing the need for evidence-based policy and legislation. He argued that spontaneous responses and substantial military expenditures without a holistic policy framework are ineffective.
Moreover, Sulaiman identified the need for comprehensive security sector reforms to resolve overlapping mandates and operational conflicts among security agencies. He noted issues such as the duplication of responsibilities between the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the police during civil unrest and the National Security Adviser’s involvement in operations typically managed by the Chief of Defence Staff.
To improve accountability in defense spending, Sulaiman mentioned that NILDS had developed a security sector oversight toolkit for the National Assembly. This toolkit is intended to enhance the scrutiny of significant financial allocations to security agencies annually. He concluded by asserting that policies and laws that are not evidence-based are unsustainable and bound to fail.