By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
All is now set for the National Stakeholders’ Summit on “Protecting Nigeria’s Critical Infrastructure, Monuments and Business Assets,” scheduled to hold in Abuja from February 28, according to the Coordinating Committee for the event.
The two-day National Stakeholders Summit billed to hold at the Congress Hall, Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, from February 28 to March 1, 2022, is a Private/Public Sector Partnership that aims at galvanizing responsibility and synergy for the prioritization of the Multi Agency/ Joint Risk Management efforts to ensure the security and resilience of Nigeria’s critical national assets, in line with the Risk Management Framework of the National Protection Policy and Strategy 2022 (CNAINPPS 2022).
The initiative is also in line with the Critical National Infrastructure Bill under consideration at the National Assembly, according to the Head of Secretariat, Coordinating Committee, Dr. Chiakor Alfred.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, Dr. Chiakor said that the last two decades had demonstrated clearly that the nature of threats to Nigeria’s security have changed significantly.
He said: “Structural challenges, such as the systematic vandalisation, degradation and destruction of Nigeria’s critical national infrastructures, monuments and business assets; terrorism, insurgency, cyber-¬‐crimes, banditry, kidnapping, piracy, oil bunkering, drug trafficking and other forms of organised crime, have created an entirely new security environment. Nigeria now faces more security threats that have different characteristics from classic military conflict between states”.
“The gross expansion of the contours that define security boundaries makes it imperative to recognize the eco-¬‐systemic dimensions of the threats that stare at us daily and in every form”.
“The rampancy and intensity of the vandalisation and destruction of Nigeria’s infrastructures and assets prompted the call to arms by His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR – President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Armed Forces, Intelligence and Security Establishment and all Nigerians to see it as a patriotic duty to ensure maximum vigilance and shared responsibility in the protection and security of these Assets and platforms at all points in their life-cycle”.
According to Dr. Chiakor, who is also the Chief of Strategic Planning and Innovations, Ashcraft Centre for Social Science Research, the projections of the Summit include the re-engineering of appropriate legislations; and the strategic roadmap for harnessing expert knowledge and country wide technical support for deterrence, codified response strategy and recovery architecture to Nigeria’s critical assets.
The Summit earlier slated for December 6 to 7, 2021 had to be rescheduled to enable for robust consultations with more diverse Stakeholders across the Sectors.
