President Tinubu
Abayomi Susan
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the immediate preparation of a comprehensive National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan aimed at strengthening coordination among Nigeria’s defence, intelligence and security institutions.
The President gave the directive on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, during the Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House in Abuja, stressing the need for a more coordinated and forward-looking approach to the country’s evolving security challenges.
Under the directive, the National Threat Assessment is expected to identify Nigeria’s major security threats, assess their level of urgency and establish operational objectives for addressing them.
The five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan will translate the findings of the assessment into specific priorities, including the capabilities required across different theatres, identified gaps, equipment and logistical requirements, as well as a clear implementation timetable.
Tinubu has given the committee responsible for preparing the documents 90 days to complete its work and submit both the National Threat Assessment and the Strategic Defence Operations Plan for his consideration and approval.
The President’s Special Adviser on Homeland Security, Major General Adeyinka Famadewa, was assigned to coordinate and provide secretariat support for the committee. The committee includes key officials from the national security and defence architecture, including the National Security Adviser, the Minister of Defence and the service chiefs.
Once approved, the Strategic Defence Operations Plan is expected to serve as a principal framework for coordinating military and defence operations over the medium term. It is also expected to provide a basis for aligning multi-year defence spending and procurement with clearly identified operational priorities and national security requirements.
The move comes as Nigeria continues to confront a range of security challenges requiring stronger cooperation among its military, intelligence and other security agencies. The administration has increasingly emphasised intelligence-led operations, improved inter-agency coordination and the deployment of technology in addressing contemporary security threats.
The President further directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the National Security Adviser to take all necessary steps to ensure the implementation of the directive without delay.
The new framework, if effectively implemented, is expected to provide a clearer medium-term direction for Nigeria’s national defence planning by linking threat assessment, operational priorities, capability development and resource allocation.
The 90-day deadline now places the committee under pressure to produce a comprehensive assessment capable of guiding Nigeria’s security strategy and defence planning for the years ahead.
