President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to promoting peace within the country and across the African continent, stressing that security remains the bedrock of development.
Speaking at the opening of the maiden African Chiefs of Defence Staff Summit 2025, hosted by Nigeria in Abuja, the President represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima urged African nations to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism, cybercrime, transnational crime, and other threats to peace.
“The extreme scale of threats across Africa has made it a must for nations to pause and reflect,” Tinubu said. “From the deserts where insurgency festers, to the high seas where piracy prowls; from the silent corridors of cybercrime to the ruthless networks of transnational criminals, none of these tragedies respects borders, and neither should our response.
“What is true of our challenges must also be true of our resolve: we cannot neutralise these threats in isolation. This is the moment to reassess our military objectives in the collective aspiration to make Africa safe. It is time to forge a new doctrine of continental defence, one rooted in trust, shared intelligence, and coordinated strategy.”
The President stressed Africa’s interwoven destiny, noting that the continent must act as one family. “And in this family, defence is the first expression of love each member can promise the other,” he said.
He welcomed the Defence Chiefs to Abuja, describing the summit as “not just a convergence of uniforms and titles but a convocation of Africa’s guardians to the village square of ideas.”
“There has never been a time when our collective defence invited us so urgently to sit together, and to reason together. This Summit, the first of its kind, could not have come at a better time,” Tinubu added.
Call for a Permanent Forum
President Tinubu proposed the establishment of a permanent African Chiefs of Defence Staff Forum to institutionalise cooperation.
“I propose the establishment of a permanent African Chiefs of Defence Staff Forum, a platform for continuous dialogue, strategic foresight, and operational coordination. Let us institutionalise this spirit of unity and make it a cornerstone of Africa’s security architecture,” he said.
Reiterating Nigeria’s role, he said: “Our position has always been straightforward: to be a good neighbour and a brother’s keeper in the struggle for peace. We hold no illusion: security is the foundation upon which the edifice of progress must stand.”
He also paid tribute to fallen soldiers, stating that their memory must be honoured through “the institutions we build, the values we uphold, and the partnerships we forge.”
Continental Voices
Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru represented by Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawale described the summit as historic and a bold commitment to a safer Africa.
The UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, also underscored the urgency of cooperation, warning against complacency. “We cannot afford to be bystanders,” she said, urging militaries to adopt new technologies to counter emerging threats.
President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, represented by Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, aligned the summit with Tinubu’s continental security vision. “No region in Africa is spared from the scourge of insecurity,” he said.
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, urged participants to invest in cyber defence, artificial intelligence, and indigenous military technology, warning that without them, Africa’s security would remain vulnerable.
“As host nation, Nigeria is deeply committed to the ideals of regional stability and continental defence integration,” Musa affirmed.
Former presidential aide, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, also commended the initiative, emphasising that “Africa must own and build its security architecture, thereby guaranteeing human and territorial security.”
The Group CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bashir Ojulari, highlighted the positive impact of collaboration in reducing crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism. “We have seen the benefit of collaboration within the energy space, with significant improvement in our operating environment,” he said.
The summit, attended by African military leaders, diplomats, legislators, and foreign partners, marked the beginning of a new era of security cooperation on the continent.
