Minister of Defence, Maj-Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd) has advanced the need to leverage on technology to monitor forests and other ungoverned spaces used as havens by criminals across the country.
Magashi stated this at the opening of the 12th National Security Seminar with the theme "Application of Technology as Force Multiplier in Enhancing Peace and Security in Nigeria" organised by the Alumni Association of the National Defence College (AANDEC) yesterday in Abuja.
He said Nigeria could not afford to maintain status quo when warfare had transformed at a fast pace alongside rapid technological development, thereby impacting on the means and methods of warfare.
The minister said the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) had made strides recently, manufacturing drones, light weapons, vehicles and Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.
According to him, these efforts and other similar initiatives need to be accelerated through rapid implementation of appropriate governmental policies geared towards technological development of the security sector.
Magashi said the armed forces and various security agencies had established research and development centres as well as cyber security outfits that had come up with worthy initiatives and products.
"In this regard, the Defence Research Development Bureau (DRDB), the Defence Space Administration and other technology-driven agencies' efforts to improve security operations are commendable steps in the right direction.
"Our security forces have performed well in international operations and at home, they can do even better by improving their level of performance with the use of technology, especially since criminals and terrorists are applying technology in their nefarious activities.
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"Improved situational awareness is often made possible by technology. It is time to demystify the forests being a haven for criminals. It is time to dominate cyberspace and deny the cyber criminals of its illegal use without detection and arrests," he said.
On his part, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), represented by Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Ndagi, said the continuous technological advancements in warfare had led to highly improved capabilities in the 21st century.
Monguno said the threats facing Nigeria were asymmetric, which placed a higher desire for technology due to the need for digital surveillance and precision targeting in some instances, to reduce collateral concerns to the barest level.
The NSA said technology remained a significant force multiplier in the current security landscape, saying the seminar was a major step towards consolidating the strides achieved by Nigerian security agencies to ensure the nation's peace and security.
Also, the chief executive officer of Proforce, Mr Ade Ogundeyin, in his lecture titled, "The Role of the Private Sector in Defence Technology and Innovation Financing in Nigeria", urged the government to devote its energy to building local capacity in defence production.
Ogundeyin said that concerted effort must be made to establish a military industrial complex and strengthen DICON to be able to produce the needed military hard and soft wares.
The commandant, National Defence College (NDC), Rear Admiral Murtala Bashir, called for concerted effort towards dislodging violent non-state actors and addressing the security challenges in the country.
