President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday declared that securing the lives of Nigerians remains non-negotiable, saying lasting economic prosperity cannot be achieved without peace and security.
The President said national security remained the bedrock of Nigeria’s economic ambitions, stressing that protecting lives and property provides the baseline for businesses to expand, investments to thrive, and communities to prosper.
Tinubu spoke at the graduation ceremony of participants of Course 34 of the National Defence College (NDC) in Abuja, where he was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, the President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening the Armed Forces and security agencies in their fight against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, piracy and organised crime.
He pledged that the Federal Government would continue to provide the equipment, training, resources and institutional support required by security agencies to discharge their constitutional responsibilities effectively.
‘Our economic ambitions accompany the duty to secure our people. The Armed Forces and security agencies continue to confront terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, piracy and organised criminality with courage and professionalism.
‘Government will provide equipment, training, resources and institutional support for their constitutional duties. Peace creates room for enterprise, and enterprise enlarges the citizen’s stake in peace’, Tinubu said.
The President stressed that the restoration of security in troubled communities must be accompanied by economic opportunities capable of consolidating peace and giving citizens a stake in stability.
‘When communities recover security, opportunity must follow, because stability grows where people can work, trade, learn and hope’, he added.
Tinubu said the administration’s security strategy was closely linked to its broader economic programme, which seeks to stabilise the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals, stimulate local industry and attract greater foreign investment.
He said his administration was pursuing reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at building a productive, diversified and competitive economy, while creating conditions for private enterprise and expanding critical infrastructure.
According to him, the government is ‘improving conditions for enterprise, encouraging private investment, promoting local value addition and expanding roads, railways, ports, energy and digital connectivity.’
‘These investments reduce costs, connect markets and reinforce national integration. We are strengthening capacity in agriculture, solid minerals, manufacturing, technology and defence industry.
‘Sovereignty acquires substance when a nation can absorb shocks, meet essential needs and defend its interests,’ the President stated.
Tinubu also linked Nigeria’s security and economic aspirations to the broader challenges confronting Africa, arguing that the continent’s long-term stability would increasingly depend on its ability to create productive economies and employment opportunities for its youthful population.
Aligning himself with the thrust of a recent National Defence College graduation lecture delivered by former President Goodluck Jonathan, Tinubu said security on the continent could no longer be divorced from economic development, innovation and industrial capacity.
‘Africa’s security will increasingly depend on productive economies, regional value chains, innovation, and industries capable of employing its young population,’ he said.
With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) driving greater economic integration, Tinubu said African countries must prioritise industrialisation as a pathway towards inclusive growth and greater economic resilience.
He said, ‘industrialisation must drive inclusive growth, reduce structural vulnerability and enlarge continental bargaining power,’ reiterating Nigeria’s commitment ‘to a peaceful, prosperous, integrated Africa.’
Addressing the graduating participants, the President said the composition of Course 34 reflected the multidisciplinary approach required to confront contemporary security and developmental challenges.
He noted that the course brought together personnel from the Armed Forces, Police, government institutions and friendly countries, providing a platform for strategic thinking and international cooperation.
Tinubu said the programme ‘reflects the breadth required by modern statecraft, drawing participants from the Armed Forces, Police, public institutions and friendly nations’.
He particularly commended the international participants for demonstrating confidence in Nigeria’s strategic military institution and urged the graduands to sustain the relationships established during the programme.
The President charged them to deploy their networks to deepen cooperation, mutual understanding, peace, and development across Africa and beyond.
Congratulating the participants on completing the rigorous programme, Tinubu praised their discipline, curiosity and resilience and urged them to uphold the college’s values of excellence, courage, patriotism and integrity in their future assignments.
He also commended the Commandant, faculty and staff of the NDC ‘for sustaining Nigeria’s foremost institution for strategic education’, as well as for their ‘devotion to education and policy-oriented research’.
Earlier, Commandant of the National Defence College, Rear Admiral Abdullahi Ahmed, said the President’s participation in the graduation ceremony, through Vice President Shettima, underscored the administration’s commitment to strategic leadership development and national security.
Ahmed said the participants underwent 47 weeks of intensive, rigorous training involving research, field tours, and seminar presentations.
According to him, the programme focused on contemporary security and developmental challenges as well as high-level defence management, equipping participants with the strategic knowledge required for leadership responsibilities.
The Commandant said the graduates were expected to translate the experience and knowledge acquired during the programme into practical solutions to challenges confronting different sectors of the Nigerian economy and society.
A total of 103 participants graduated from Course 34, comprising 33 officers of the Nigerian Army, 20 from the Nigerian Navy, nine from the Nigerian Air Force and four from the Nigeria Police Force.
The class also included 17 participants from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and 20 international participants.
The highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of certificates to the 103 graduates and awards to deserving participants.