Senate proposes institute to tackle security challenges in Nigeria

Senate has proposes Institute for Security and Strategic Studies to address security situation and national inclusion in Orumba, Anambra State.

The bill sponsored by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah (PDP, Anambra South) that passed second reading in the upper chamber, “is a strategic intervention geared towards deepening and strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to train and equip our people to tackle the several security and defence challenges of the 21st century.”

Speaking to Journalists, Ubah, who is the national leader of Young Progressives Party (YPP), said the bill will help fill the void that is already growing, the last piece of the puzzle to achieve a holistic and comprehensive coverage of strategic security development institutions across the country.

“The institute which will see the South East host and complete the circle of zones with tactically placed instruments of state defence and security has been applauded by the Senate as worthy to pass through the first reading”, expressing the hope that the legislative initiative will be approved and passed.

“It is worthy of note to state that out of the six geo-political zones, it is only the South East that does not have a key institution for internal and external security. There are already existing institutions in other geo-political zones,” he said.

Senator Ubah listed such institutions as the Staff Services Academy, SSA in Lagos, South West; State Services Technical Academy, SSTA in Calabar, South South; Institute of Security Studies, ISS, recently upgraded to National Institute for Security Studies, NISS in Abuja representing the North Central; Staff Development Centre- SDC in Kaduna, North West, and the Senior Staff Development Centre-SSDC in Bauchi, North East.

The lawmaker informed that these institutions are mostly saddled with the training of Department of State Services, DSS staff as well as other national security staff/recruitment which is managed by the DSS.

He pointed out that “certain occurrences have in recent times, further exposed the dire need for greater capacity building, institutional strengthening and the strategic integration of all parts of the nation in the security architecture for total national cohesion and unity.”