Abuja – The Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI) , Rear Adm. Gabriel Okoi, has urged Deputy Defence Advisers /Attachés to double their efforts at providing actionable intelligence to aid decision making.
Okoi made the call on Monday in Abuja at the opening of a Training Conference for Deputy Defence Advisers/ Attachés and Librarians.
The CDI expressed confidence that in no distant time the security problems facing the country would have been dealt with adequately, thus bringing peace to Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
He said: “To achieve acceptable peace in the continent, you must double your efforts at providing actionable intelligence that will help in decision making.
“Let me remind you all that we are at a very unique point in our national political life when for the first time in our democratic history an opposition is taking over the reins of government.
“It is unique and interesting as the International community will no doubt be looking forward to the roles Nigeria will play in the international arena with you as key players.
“This is coming at a time also when security challenges which necessitated the increased involvement of the Nigerian Armed Forces in internal security operations has abated substantially.
Okoi said the training conference would afford the participants the opportunity to discuss current significant issues to collective efforts at contributing their quota in the realisation of the Federal Government programmes.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
He said the conference was also an avenue to identify new lessons and challenges, discuss modalities of overcoming such challenges and re-strategising for the future.
He said the theme of the three-day conference; “Refocusing the Activities of Nigeria’s Defence Missions to Meet Contemporary Security Challenges’’, was carefully selected.
The CDI said the theme would guide their deliberations and contributions to the current efforts at addressing the security challenges bedeviling Nigeria and create an atmosphere for sustainable national security and development.
“It is in this regard that topics were selected carefully to address pertinent issues which will sufficiently agitate our minds to endear very fruitful deliberations.
“The growing sophistication of our society coupled with increasing expectations from home and abroad requires a continuous re-appraisal of our operational tactics and methods of intelligence gathering in order to rise to the demands of 21st Century security environment.
“This gathering will no doubt provide the opportunity to tap from the vast experiences of the resource persons,’’ Okoi said.
Earlier, the Director of Foreign Liaison, Brig.-Gen. Peter Bojie, told the participants that they were returning to their stations at the dawn of a new government in the country.
Bojie, however, said taking over of the helm of affairs in Nigeria by a new government would not change their mandate, but would rather reinforce their individual commitments to fatherland.
“This is more so with the recent turn of events against the insurgent Boko Haram sect that had left a sour taste in our mouths for quite some time.
“So, from the very successful 2015 elections to winning the war against insurgency, you are please enjoined to build on this new face of a resurgent Nigeria in your own little ways wherever you find yourselves operating. (NAN)