Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali
Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, has recommended a total review of the nation’s defence policy to enable it tackle the many domestic security challenges in Nigeria.
The minister said this when he received the 2015 National Defence Policy Committee’s report in Abuja on Tuesday, adding that the existing National Defence Policy had not been reviewed in the last 10 years.
He is of the opinion that the lack of review over the years had made it difficult for the armed forces to effectively tackle emerging threats to national security.
Dan-Ali also explained that his ministry was already restructuring the armed forces to enable civilian staff undergo military training in other to build their capacity.
The call for a review of the defence policy is coming amidst security challenges in the oil-rich nation that have affected the nation’s crude oil output.
The so called Niger Delta Avengers has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks on oil installations in the region, which has adversely affected the Nation’s crude oil production.
In the northeast, Nigeria is yet to completely deal with the Boko Haram terrorist group, which is pushing for the establishment of an Islamic State and an end to Western education in the region.
Other splinter groups, like the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, in the Southeast, are springing up and seeking secession from Nigeria.