The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has emphasized that effective strategic defence management is essential for safeguarding Nigeria’s sovereignty, ensuring peace, and fostering long-term socio-economic development.
Speaking in Abuja at the National Defence College Course 33 Lecture Series, Badaru praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for prioritizing security as a foundation for national development. He delivered a lecture titled “Strategic Defence Management in Nigeria: Ministry of Defence in Perspective,” where he outlined the Ministry’s central role in addressing Nigeria’s complex and evolving security landscape.
According to the Minister, Nigeria’s current security environment is shaped by multiple forces, including state and non-state actors, civil society, the media, and international interests. He described this landscape as volatile and influenced by regional and global dynamics, requiring well-coordinated strategic responses.
Badaru pointed to a range of security threats the country is currently grappling with, including insurgency in the North-East, banditry and communal violence in the North-West and North-Central, secessionist agitation and oil theft in the South, and maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea. 
He also cited instability in the Sahel region and Nigeria’s growing leadership role in ECOWAS and the African Union as factors necessitating a robust defence posture.
He noted that the Tinubu administration is undertaking major reforms to recalibrate Nigeria’s defence structure, including military modernization, capacity building, and increased investment in local defence industries. He stressed that the Ministry of Defence is pivotal to these reforms, serving as the coordinating body for strategic defence policy and the operational readiness of the Armed Forces.
The Minister highlighted the Ministry’s core functions, including developing and implementing the National Defence Policy, integrating defence planning and budgeting, and ensuring that security strategies align with Nigeria’s national interest and global security trends. He called for a forward-looking and holistic approach to security, one that incorporates military strength, economic policy, and diplomatic engagement.
Badaru also advocated for broader collaboration across all sectors of government and society, stating that national security should be a shared responsibility. He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to transparency, institutional efficiency, and operational effectiveness.
In his remarks, the Commandant of the National Defence College, Rear Admiral James Ohimai Okosun, lauded the Minister’s presentation, describing it as both timely and insightful. He acknowledged the Ministry’s ongoing reforms as transformative and critical for shaping the next generation of Nigeria’s defence leadership.
LV