National Security Adviser Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) has advocated new strategies in the fight against insurgency.
Speaking at a seminar organised by the National Defence College in Abuja weekend, Dasuki disclosed that global terror championed by al-Qaeda has encroached upon the frontiers of Nigeria’s security and well-being.
He however said Nigeria was responding to this threat on all fronts. “Through new and relevant legislations and policies, security agencies continue to dismantle terrorist infrastructure in Nigeria,” Dasuki said.
The NSA also declared “that military action on its own will not counter terror if not accompanied by a robust public diplomacy aimed at defeating the ideology of hate and building consensus against violent extremism. “That is why strategic communication is an essential part of our counter terrorism operations. Nigeria will continuously update its strategic communication needs to reflect current challenges occasioned by terrorism.”
He opined that Nigeria’s diversity, rich history and culture should be considered assets for the demonstration of national cohesion rather than a cause for division. “We will mobilise these national assets to remind Nigerians that more issues unite us than divide us. Our shared history, cultures and geography will be amplified as basis for a comprehensive strategic communication in order to attain set national security objectives. In all areas of strategic communication programs, focus will be placed on: unity and indivisibility of Nigeria as a nation; democracy and the fundamental freedom of worship and belief; public safety and good governance and zero tolerance for violent extremism.”