President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the preparation of a five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan to strengthen coordination among Nigeria’s defence, intelligence and security agencies.
The President gave the directive on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at the Federal Executive Council meeting held at the State House, Abuja. He also ordered the immediate preparation of a comprehensive National Threat Assessment to provide a clearer understanding of the security challenges facing the country.
Tinubu constituted an 11-member committee to prepare the strategic plan, with his Special Adviser on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka A. Famadewa, coordinating the committee and providing secretariat support. Members include National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Defence Minister Christopher Musa, Minister of State for Defence Bello Muhammad Matawalle, and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede.
Other members are the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas; Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Ajayi; and Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Muhammed Muhammed.
Tinubu said the new framework would establish a common understanding of the threats facing Nigeria, the operational objectives required to address them and the capabilities needed to achieve those objectives. He said recent security operations, including the rescue of pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, showed the value of effective coordination among security agencies.
“The operation demonstrated what can be achieved when our agencies work together with a clear objective and the necessary intelligence,” the President said, stressing the need for a more coordinated national approach to security planning.
According to him, security requirements are often considered separately without adequate reference to a shared national threat assessment or unified medium-term plan. He said the National Threat Assessment would identify the country’s major threats, assess their urgency and establish operational objectives, while the Strategic Defence Operations Plan would set priorities, identify capability gaps and outline equipment, support requirements and implementation timelines.
Tinubu directed the committee to begin work immediately and submit both documents for his consideration and approval within 90 days. He said the approved Strategic Defence Operations Plan would become the main framework for coordinating military and defence operations over the medium term and would guide a corresponding multi-year defence spending and procurement plan.
The President also directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the National Security Adviser to take all necessary steps to implement the directives immediately. The committee may consult or co-opt representatives of other ministries, departments and agencies where their expertise is required.