Linus Aleke in Abuja
Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, has said sustainable national security, strong governance and credible institutions were indispensable foundations for driving Nigeria’s transition to a trillion-dollar economy.
Musa made this assertion while delivering a keynote address titled: “National Security: Pathway to a Trillion-Dollar Economy” at the 56th Annual Accountants’ Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), held at the Bola Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja.
Addressing an audience of professional accountants, policymakers and business leaders, Musa emphasised that national security must be viewed beyond traditional military operations and law enforcement.
Instead, it must be recognised as an essential economic catalyst that safeguards human capital, protects critical infrastructure and fosters the predictability required to attract long-term investment.
According to a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Leah Katung-Babatunde, Musa stressed that, “No investor commits capital where lives and assets are not safe, and no economy grows beyond the reach of its security.”
The minister acknowledged Nigeria’s security challenges, including targeted attacks on communities, highway kidnappings and isolated insurgent activities.
However, he reassured the public that concerted operations by the Armed Forces of Nigeria were steadily turning the tide, restoring stability across economic corridors, agricultural belts and industrial zones.
Aligning his remarks with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the minister outlined several strategic priorities for leveraging security to drive macroeconomic expansion.
These included protecting strategic economic assets, promoting good governance and human capital development, ensuring financial discipline in defence spending, strengthening cybersecurity and financial intelligence, and developing domestic defence industrial capacity.
The minister, however, announced the establishment of a joint Ministry of Defence–ICAN Implementation Committee to develop collaborative frameworks proposed by ICAN President, Hajia Queensley Seghosime.