President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, urged the military and other security agencies to remain apolitical in their involvement in the provision of security during the nation’s 2023 general elections.
Buhari made the call at the inauguration of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) Estate at Idu-Karmo in Abuja.
He said that security agencies would be engaged with various support and assistance in the elections, particularly with distribution and monitoring of classified materials and other logistics.
These, he warned, must be done professionally and in accordance with Standing Operation Procedures.
“I, therefore, urge you to remain apolitical and desist from behaviour that could bring disrepute to the agency and our country by compromising democracy,” he said.
While commending the efforts of DIA in providing accommodation for its personnel, Buhari said that the efforts could be better understood by making the connection between shelter and productivity.
This, he said, underpinned his administration’s vision for provision of shelter to improve performance as well as comfort for workers, families and communities.
“This commissioning ceremony further avails another opportunity to reaffirm my confidence in the competence, commitment and achievements of the Defence Intelligence Agency’s giant strides achieved across the nation.
“I am confident that these new premises will yield enormous shelter dividends to the Defence Intelligence Agency staff, their families and to the host locality.
“The acquisition of this accommodation is a great leap forward, but the envisaged benefits would be aborted without diligent maintenance.
“I charge you all to ensure the sustenance of the high standard of this facility. This would help realise the value of the enormous resources committed to its acquisition.
“The agency’s investment in staff accommodation complements our vision of achieving improved national security,” he said.
The Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Maj.-Gen. Samuel Adebayo, said he identified three critical areas of consideration for a professional workforce for the agency on assumption of office.
The three areas, according to him, are technical intelligence capabilities, human capacity development and staff welfare, saying the staff quarters acquired will ameliorate the accommodation challenges faced by the agency.
Adebayo said that the facility contained 16 units of three-bedroom terrace buildings with boys’ quarters and 48 units of three-bedroom flats all en suite.
He added that one of the blocks of six units of flats and two units of terrace buildings had been furnished as prototypes, adding that the rest would be furnished during the 2023 budget implementation cycle.
The CDI thanked Buhari for his leadership and direction that had spurred the agency to discharge its job professionally with the zeal to do more.
“He charged us to spare no efforts in support of the Armed Forces of Nigeria with actionable intelligence toward a secured Nigeria.
“Permit me, Your Excellency to use this opportunity to report back that we have continued to carry out DIA’s mandates conscientiously with positive outcomes.
“We prioritized technical and communication aspects of intelligence in support of the Armed Forces operations and activities within and outside the country.
“We have also successfully dominated the security threat environment with a combination of special intelligence operations and non-kinetic activities.
“These operations have recorded degrees of successes that have continued to deny the enemies of state cohesion and capabilities to withstand the fighting forces,” he said.
Adebayo said the agency intends to refocus its tactical and technical intelligence drive on all the frontiers to sustain the gains and continue to review its activities in the coming year.
He said the result across all theatres had so far been significantly rewarding.
On human capacity development, he said that DIA had intensified specialised training of staff, both locally and abroad, in different fields of intelligence needs, while its college had reviewed its curriculum to accommodate new developments in the intelligence field.
“The need to create a more conducive environment for staff at the defence sections and here in Nigeria has been on the front burner.
“Your Excellency has approved our requests for technical intelligence and advanced technological acquisitions.
“Most of the newly-procured technical equipment have been deployed and helping to address the security challenges across the country.
“Few others are at different stages of acquisition and installation. These equipment have contributed immensely to degrading the capabilities of the threat groups in the North East, North West, North Central and South East geopolitical zones.
“We intend to intensify efforts to achieve Mr President’s promise of a more secured Nigeria before the end of this administration,” he said.
