By Kingsley Unah
The Minister of Interior Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has said that no country wins a war with defective local intelligence. He made this assertion during the 2024 budget defence session before the National Assembly Joint Committee recently in Abuja.
In his speech, Tunji-Ojo told the committee at the session for the outgoing 2023 fiscal year that any country that is secured, depends on the veracity and integrity intelligence available from its locals.
He said, you can have the most equipped arm forces in the world, but if it’s intelligence is defective, definitely you cannot win the war. Of a fact, the minister cited instances in the America-Afghanistan war, saying the United States has the best military equipment, but if the locals refused to give the required intelligence support, there is very little they can achieve.
Tunji-Ojo, said when he became Minister of Interior, for the fact that he needed to have absolute control of the country’s border, he inaugurated an inter- ministerial committee on border management, comprising Federal Agencies and the border communities to set up infrastructure prosperity and wellbeing of the enabling communities.
The Minister said, some of the communities at the nation’s border are contiguous due to inter Social-economic activities with the neighbouring countries which result to their disloyalty and non alligience to the country.
He said the committee report on border management will be ready soon.
The session had in attendance the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Peter Egbodo, Directors of various departments in the Ministry, the Secretary of the Board, Alhaji Jafar Ahmed, the CG- Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps Dr Abubakar Audi, CG, Correctional Service,Haliru Banana,CG- NIS, Caroline Wura-Ola Adepoju, CG -Federal Fire Service, Engr Jaji O Abdulganiyu among others.