FG moves to make ungoverned spaces economically viable

By Kingsley Omonobi

Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa, retd, has inaugurated an 18-man membership committee to reclaim  ungoverned spaces for economic viability.

The committee is also to reposition the Nigerian Legion corps of Commissionaires and Veterans, as part of renewed effort to strengthen veterans’ welfare and ensure active participation of military veterans in strengthening national security.

Represented by the permanent secretary of the ministry, Mr Richard Pheelangwa, at an event that held in Abuja on Tuesday, the minister described Nigeria Legion as a critical institution with a proud history of service, sacrifice and patriotism, noting that the Legion had continued to play important roles in supporting national security and veterans affairs.

He disclosed that evolving socio-economic realities made it imperative to reform and reposition the corps for greater relevance and sustainability.

He disclosed that the repositioning was part of a broader government commitment to ensure that veterans who had served the nation with honour were not left behind but empowered to live dignified and productive lives after service.

He described the initiative as a deliberate and strategic policy intervention designed to address long-standing structural and operational challenges that have limited the contribution of the defence community to national development.

Musa advocated a strategic shift from an over-reliance on military offensive to a more comprehensive, inclusive and sustainable approach to national security, adding that while military operations remained indispensable, enduring peace and stability could only be achieved by addressing the underlying socio-economic factors that enable insecurity to persist.

The minister reeled out the three terms of reference of the committee to include to reposition the veteran community to support national economic development; deploy veterans to secure ungoverned spaces and ensure the areas are brought under effective oversight and development and reposition the Nigerian Legion Corps of Commissionaires, strengthen operational effectiveness, facilitate veterans reintegration and promote their contribution to national security.

He urged members of the committee to adopt innovative, practical and forward looking approaches that reflected contemporary realities.

“Deliberate integration of veterans into security and development initiatives would enhance local ownership, improve intelligence gathering and foster trust between communities and the state,” he added.

He expressed optimism that the committee would submit actionable recommendations that would support a holistic national strategy to secure Nigeria’s ungoverned spaces, while promoting inclusive economic growth and sustainable peace.

The membership of the committee were drawn from the Joint Services Department of the ministry; Nigeria Legion; Defence headquarters; Defence Intelligence Agency; Nigeria Army; Nigeria Navy; Nigeria Air Force, as well as representatives from Offices of the Minister of Defence and Minister of State for Defence.

Drawing a comparison between both countries, Obi highlighted the disparity in electricity generation capacity.

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