As dawn broke over Abuja on July 28, political leaders, retired military officers, lawyers, academics, security experts and business executives gathered at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre for the sixth edition of the First Daily Annual National Dialogue.
The gathering was not another routine conference. Instead, it became a national conversation on one of Nigeria’s most pressing challenges: insecurity.
Long before discussions commenced, the mood in the hall reflected the gravity of the occasion. The Publisher of First Daily, Dr Daniel Iworiso-Markson, set the tone when he requested a minute’s silence in honour of Nigerians who had lost their lives to terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal violence and other forms of insecurity.
That symbolic gesture underscored the reality confronting millions of Nigerians daily.
For years, insecurity in Nigeria has been discussed mainly through the lens of military operations and law enforcement. However, the event’s speakers argued that the crisis extends far beyond the battlefield.
Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (retd.), described insecurity as a threat to the country’s collective future.
According to him, insecurity now manifests in different forms, ranging from kidnapping, terrorism and cybercrime to oil theft, flooding and air disasters.
“The threat is no longer external. Today, it is internal because of economic, human and digital challenges,” he said.
Irabor emphasised that security and development are inseparable, noting that schools, hospitals, businesses and even democratic institutions cannot thrive without safety and stability.
His remarks reflected a broader consensus among participants that Nigeria’s security challenge cannot be solved solely through military deployments.
The Executive Director of Operations and Technical Services at Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, Captain Warredi Enisuoh, offered another perspective.
Rather than focusing exclusively on manpower, he highlighted the importance of technology.
According to him, difficulties in acquiring sophisticated surveillance technology from foreign countries compelled the company to develop indigenous solutions capable of tracking criminal activities across Nigeria’s land and maritime domains.
He disclosed that the company created the Tantita Operations Command and Control Application, enabling security personnel to process intelligence gathered from drones, satellites, human sources and surveillance devices.
The technology, he said, can identify suspicious activities, monitor pipelines and detect the movement of vessels and vehicles in real time.
Beyond technology, the debate also shifted towards governance and community participation.
Representing Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Nimibofa Ayawei, argued that Nigeria’s federal structure should permit governors to exercise greater control over security operations within their states.
He maintained that effective governance cannot exist where chief executives of states are denied sufficient authority to protect the people who elected them.
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For Professor Ayawei, the conversation about state policing is not merely constitutional; it is practical.
The argument was reinforced by academic and public affairs analyst Alhaji Yahaya Ndu, who traced Nigeria’s security challenges to the colonial disruption of indigenous policing structures.
He advocated a system in which traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth organisations and community groups play central roles in maintaining peace and order.
Development lawyer Grant Tietie, meanwhile, argued that declarations of emergency on security would mean little without corresponding financial commitments.
He insisted that the country’s security agencies require substantial investment to effectively address emerging threats.
Throughout the event, a recurring theme emerged: security is everyone’s responsibility.
Whether through improved intelligence gathering, technological innovation, institutional reforms or community engagement, participants agreed that sustainable solutions require cooperation among government institutions, security agencies, the private sector and ordinary citizens.
The dialogue ended without easy answers, but one message stood out clearly.
Nigeria’s security challenge is no longer merely about guns and uniforms.
It is increasingly about governance, accountability, technology, economic opportunity and public trust.