KEY POINTS

• Musa says lasting security depends on defeating ignorance and hopelessness, not only military force.
• He warns that banditry, kidnapping, cybercrime and extremism are adaptive and interconnected.
• He says economic gains hold only when security is guaranteed.

The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa, says true and lasting national security must rest on defeating ignorance, conquering hopelessness and defending democratic values. According to a statement on Saturday from his special adviser on media, Leah Katung-Babatunde, the minister made the case on Friday at the June 12 Special Edition of The Platform Nigeria in Lagos.

Security beyond firepower

Musa argued that national defence demands more than conventional might. “When we speak of national defence, the instinct is to focus on boots on the ground, air power, or intelligence gathering,” he said. However, he stressed that durable safety hinges on a different foundation. “True and lasting security is anchored on one critical element: the defeat of ignorance and the conquest of hopelessness,” he added.

Moreover, the minister tied security directly to democratic life, warning that fear corrodes both. “No democracy can flourish where fear dominates daily life,” he said. Furthermore, he linked stability to the economy, noting that the country can sustain meaningful economic gains only when it guarantees security.

Evolving threats demand new tactics

Offering a balanced assessment, Musa acknowledged the milestones the Armed Forces have recorded. Notably, he cited the neutralization of key terrorist leaders and the disruption of major criminal networks as evidence of progress on the battlefield.

Nevertheless, he cautioned that modern threats keep shifting and overlapping. According to him, banditry, kidnapping, cybercrime and transnational violent extremism have grown highly adaptive and increasingly interconnected, which complicates the task facing the security forces. Consequently, he said the country must pursue a rapid, technology-driven evolution in its defence strategy to keep pace with those dangers.

In addition, the minister paid tribute to the sacrifices that birthed Nigeria’s democracy, framing the June 12 anniversary as a reminder of the values the forces now defend. Ultimately, his message reframed security as a broader national project, because lasting peace, in his view, depends as much on hope, education and opportunity as on weapons and intelligence. By tying defence to democratic values and economic stability, Musa urged a strategy that confronts both the fighters in the field and the conditions that feed crime and extremism across the country.