The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, has called for greater public participation in securing lives and property across Nigeria, emphasizing that security should not be the sole responsibility of the country’s security agencies.
Speaking at the 2024 Distinguished Personality Lecture organized by the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Lagbaja highlighted the importance of collective effort in ensuring national security. The lecture, titled “The Roles and Contributions of the Nigerian Army to National Development,” saw Lagbaja represented by the Chief of Training (Army), Major General Sanni Gambo Mohammed.
Addressing the misconception that security is exclusively the responsibility of the armed forces, Lagbaja stated, “There is an erroneous belief that security is to be provided and ensured without interruption only and exclusively by the security agencies, particularly the Nigerian Army wherever deployed.”
He noted that this mindset has created public apathy, with many citizens remaining unconcerned about security unless directly threatened by criminal elements. The COAS further pointed out the limitations of the country’s security forces, particularly in terms of manpower.
“In a country of over 200 million people, it is unrealistic for security operatives totalling around 2 million, including an army of just over 100,000 active personnel without a reserve force, to secure the entire population,” Lagbaja remarked.
The Army chief also reiterated that the Nigerian Army, along with other security agencies, is under-resourced. Despite the Federal Government’s ongoing commitment to increasing recruitment within the armed forces, Lagbaja highlighted several challenges hindering the army’s optimal performance.
He identified four major issues facing the Nigerian Army: inadequate funding, insufficient manpower, lack of an industrial base, and a poor understanding of security matters by the general populace.
The lecture underscored the importance of not only bolstering the nation’s military capabilities but also fostering a shared responsibility between citizens and security agencies to safeguard the country’s future.