BY JOHN ONAH, Abuja
Worried by the alarming rate and rampant vandalization and destruction of Nigeria’s critical infrastructure, monuments as well as the unmitigated attacks on other critical assets, the Presidential Thin-Tank on Defence and Security is set to forge a common front to confront the monster.
To this end, the group will be organizing a Nation summit on the theme: “Protecting Nigeria’s Critical Infrastructure, Monuments and Business Assets,” scheduled to hold in Abuja from 6th-7th of December, 2021.
In a pre-summit press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the Chairman, Think- Tank, Major Gen Abdul Malik Jibril (Rtd), noted that the security of our lives, properties and national assets was a collective responsibility and should be given priority attention.
According to him, Issues of security, destruction of lives and property know neither religion nor ethnicity.
“We need the partnership and support of, all Stakeholders, both in the Public and Private Sectors, with diverse political, religious and professional orientations to put aside all prejudices to help forge a common front to confront the monster that is threatening the integrity of our corporate existence as a people and as a nation,” he said.
He disclosed that the conference is basically a response to the call-to-arms of President Muhammadu Buhari, to the Armed Forces, Intelligence and Security establishments, business owners as well as to all residents of Nigeria to work in concert to reduce “the vulnerability of the Nation’s Critical National Infrastructure to threats and hazards, on the one hand, and improving the resilience of such critical national infrastructure by strengthening their ability to withstand and recover from disruption.”
Jibril added that this will involve a number of measures ranging from Physical protection to prevent damage or disruption; Building a level of reliability into them so that they can continue to operate even after an attack; Ensuring that there are back-up systems;, Putting in place organisations that can rapidly respond effectively to threat events to enable such infrastructure recover quickly from disruptions among other”.
He further noted that the Summit was about getting owners of such Critical National Infrastructure to network with subject-matter experts to bring their whole-of-society perspectives to bear in developing or contributing to the development of policy.
“The choice of topics and the quality of Resources Persons invited scheduled to make presentations is a reflection of the seriousness attached to this Summit,” he noted.
Some of the speakers expected at the conference include: Prof Niran Oluwaranti – Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; Maj Gen Emeka Onumajuru, Deputy Commandant National Defence College and: Prof UA Tar – Head, Centre for Defence Studies and Documentation, Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna.
DISCLAIMER
The OPINION / COLUMN is authored by independent contributors to the National Accord Newspaper. While contributors adhere to our editorial guidelines, they are not employed by the National Accord Newspaper. The perspectives and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of the National Accord Newspaper or its staff.
Leave a Reply