Date: November 30, 2023 10:02 am
Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has urged the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and Defence Attaches/Advisers to promote mutual understanding, sharing of intelligence and develop joint strategy to combat emerging threats.
Matawalle made the call on Friday in Abuja.
The Minister spoke at the closing of the Chief of Defence Intelligence Annual Conference 2023.
The theme of the weeklong Conference is: “Leveraging Defence Diplomacy and Effective Regional Collaboration for Enhanced National Security”.
The Minister said the Defence Attaches and advisers had important roles to play in an increasingly interconnected world where security challenges transcend borders
Matawalle noted that they contributed significantly to the strengthening of the national security apparatus.
He urged them to recognise that security challenges were not isolated incidents but a general phenomenon that required coordinated response and collaboration with allied partners.
He said the Conference might had exposed them to the significance of defence diplomacy as a powerful tool in building relationships, fostering trust and addressing collective security challenges.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu is proactively working toward revamping our economy through various measures and initiatives.
He said: “Additionally, the Minister of Defence has adopted a short, medium and long term strategic plan to ensure the agency functions optimally to achieve its goals and objectives as well as contribute effectively to the national security of this nation.
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“In this regard, I want to ask you to ensure judicial utilisation of resources allocated to you, seeing that there are competent needs for scarce national resources as at now the job of defence Intelligence.
“I want to assure you that this resolution will be given the required attention at the Ministry of Defence and other appropriate quarters to ensure speedy implementation of this resolution”.
The Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Major-General Emmanuel Undiandeye, said the Conference would place the attachés in a better state to maximally leverage opportunities in their respective nations of accreditation to advance Nigeria’s national security interests.
Undiandeye urged all the defence attachés and advisers to carry the spirit of the conference with them to their respective sections.
He reminded them that their basic and cardinal task was the provision of intelligence for national security and development of Nigeria, urging them not to deviate from it.
The CDI thanked President Tinubu, for his purposeful leadership and assistance to the agency, as well as the National Security Advisor and Ministers of Defence for their continuous guidance and support.
