Monguno, Aregbesola Push For Protection Of National Assets

The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) as well as other stakeholders have stressed the need to protect critical national assets.

The stakeholders made the call during the Critical National Asset and Infrastructure (CNAI) and the National Protection Policy and Strategy (NPPS) 2023 Validation workshop in Abuja yesterday.

The national security adviser (NSA), Maj-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), said the meeting was to ensure the full implementation of all aspects of the national security strategy.

Monguno, who was represented by the principal general staff officer, ONSA, Maj.-Gen. Abubakar Ndalolo said the document was being presented to relevant stakeholders to enable them make observations and inputs to facilitate seamless implementation of the document when approved.

“As we know, the survival and security of every nation and the quality of life of its citizens largely depend on the functionality of its critical national assets and infrastructure.

“Any attack on these assets and infrastructure will have adverse effect on national security.

“Contemporary concerns for the security of national infrastructures became more prominent in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the United States.

“Since that gruesome attack, the United States and many other countries have taken necessary steps to identify critical national assets and infrastructure with the aim of designing appropriate policies and strategies to secure them,” he said.

He added that the UN Security Council Resolution 2341 placed premium on countries to prioritize the protection of critical national assets and infrastructure.

Monguno said Nigeria had since 2009 suffered immense loss of lives and properties due to activities of terrorists and other criminal elements across the country.

He said the document had identified and sectorised Nigeria’s critical national assets and infrastructure domain into 17 sectors, as well as prioritised their protection into three broad areas.

The areas according to him are lifeline, life support and life-enhancing sector groups.

The minister of interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, urged security stakeholders to ensure proper protection of Nigeria’s critical asset and infrastructure.

He said protecting the country’s assets will ensure development of the nation, adding that because CNAI was diverse, stakeholders needed to brainstorm on the policies guiding it alongside how CNAI affected the duties of security agencies.

The minister said there was need to checkmate the roles security agencies and stakeholders played in securing CNAI.

He said that it was imperative to know how security agencies planned to implement the strategies guiding CNAI protection.

“We expect a fantastic outcome so, your contributions in this workshop must come out of your experience in areas we believe are critical to the wellbeing and security of Nigerians.

“Whether with this government or the incoming administration, the Federation Executive Council will find out if this document has gone through critical evaluation and contribution before approval,” he said.

Earlier, the commandant-general of NSCDC Mr Ahmed Audi, said the corps was the statutory lead agency in the protection of CNAI.

 “Today’s gathering is aimed at completing the multi-stakeholder engagement process for CNAI-NPPS 2023. This document being presented for validation is in full compliance with the dictates of the aforementioned Security Council Resolution.