Speaker Tasks Defence College On Insecurity

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has urged the National Defence College (NDC) to “think outside the box” and come up with ideas to address the various security challenges bedeviling the country.

Abbas made the call when the Commandant of the college, Rear Admiral Olumuyiwa Morakinyo Olotu, led the management on a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja yesterday.

The speaker who lamented the loss of lives and property in the country, said the NDC as a research-based security institution should come up with proposals on how best to tackle the challenges.

Abbas said: “You are aware of where Nigeria is today in terms of security. We are at the lowest ebb. We rely on institutions like yours to come up with policies that will minimize, if not eliminate all the security challenges that this country is facing.

“I believe one of the reasons why you (the NDC) are in existence; why your institution was established, was to proffer solutions in terms of policies,” Abbas said.

“Think outside the box. Come up with advice for the executive as well as for us in the legislature on what we need to do to actually bring to an end, this incessant insecurity that is bedeviling this country. You are up to the task, and you will be able to deliver at the end of the day,” he added.

The speaker further asked the NDC to conduct a research on the link between a cashless economy and insecurity.

“A lot of members have been coming to say ‘let us go and talk to the president and ask him to revisit this issue of cashless policy introduced towards the end of last year,’ because it was found that the introduction of the policy significantly reduced terrorism, kidnappings and banditry,” he said.

While congratulating Olotu on his appointment as commandant of the NDC, he expressed confidence in his ability to take the “very important” institution to a higher level.

Earlier, Rear Admiral Olotu urged the speaker to facilitate passage of the bill seeking to change the name of the college as the Act establishing the institute still envisage it as a “War College.”

“One of the assurances we will be seeking later is passage of the bill on renaming of the National War College to National Defence College, because the Act still envisages that it is a National War College whereas the college has become National Defence College since over a decade ago,” he said.

The commandant disclosed that the NDC had graduated a total of 2,758 participants, out of which the Nigerian Army had 1,051.

Olotu also disclosed that the NDC would organise a stakeholders’ roundtable on October 31, 2023 to look at issues around the forthcoming governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo States.