Former Chief of Army Staff and former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Republic of Benin, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd), has stressed the need to bolster the nation’s troop level to 800,000.
In his presentation as the keynote speaker at the second edition of the Lagos State University of Education Security Summit with the theme; “Insecurity, Cost of Living, and Good Governance in the 21st Century,” he said a larger and more robust force would enhance operational readiness, improve the country’s capacity to respond to various contingencies, and strengthen alliances on the international stage.
Buratai also called for the establishment of Marine Corps for the Nigerian Navy to be strategically stationed in places such as Lagos, Borno, Cross River and Rivers.
He described Lagos State as indicative of the degree to which Nigeria’s economic, political, social and cultural landscape were embedded within the global system.
Buratai, while delivering the lecture in a paper titled; “Lagos in Nigeria’s National Security and Defence Architecture: An Analysis,” said, “The presence of strategic military installations, the Atlantic Ocean and extensive coastline have placed Lagos State on the strategic defence map of the armed forces of Nigeria.”
He, however, noted that while the sea provides a strategic economic status, Lagos could also be vulnerable to external attacks across the ocean.
He reiterated that the Lagos State government should begin to look at the options and implications of having its own security.
Buratai lauded the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s strategy on security in Lagos, saying it provides an example for other governors in Nigeria. He said the governor recognised that genuine security transcends mere physical presence or reactive measures, and commended the governor’s innovative approach, which he said had redefined urban governance and set a benchmark for other states to follow.
