President Muhammadu Buhari is currently presiding over the National Security Council meeting holing at the Council Chambers of the State House in Abuja.
The meeting which began around11 am on Wednesday cannot be unconnected to Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Present at the meeting aside from the President are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, Chief Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amao, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Farouk Yahaya, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo; the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba and Directors General of the State Security Service and National Intelligence Agency, Yusuf Bichi and Ahmed Abubakar, respectively.
New Telegraph gathered that the meeting is set up to review the readiness of all security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Central Bank ahead of the electoral exercise.
The National Security Council advises the President on matters of public security including those relating to any organisation or agency established by law for ensuring the security of the Federation.
It comprises the President who is the Chairman; the Vice-President who is the Deputy Chairman; the Chief of Defence Staff; the Minister of Interior; the Minister of Defence; the Minister of Foreign Affairs; the National Security Adviser; the Inspector-General of Police; and whoever the President wishes to be present at the meeting for strategic reasons.
Believed to be the last before the elections, the security meeting comes five months after the Council last met to receive updates from the Service Chiefs and heads of other security agencies.
Before then, the Council sat in July 2022, two weeks after terrorists affiliated to the Boko Haram sect stormed the Kuje Custodial Centre, Abuja, freeing hundreds of their fellows from detention and killing several security agents in their wake.
As a prelude to the Council meeting, Buhari presided over the launch of security equipment donated by the Coalition Against Covid-19.
In what it described as its final commitment to the government and people of Nigeria, CACOVID, a private sector-led initiative, donated over 300 vehicles, state-of-the-art security equipment and gadgets to aid the fight against insecurity.
Chairman of the initiative and President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, said over N82bn has been mobilised for medical supplies, construction of isolation centres, feeding of over 10 million people, risk communication and Advocacy.
These, he said, were part of CACOVID’s response to the socioeconomic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the past two years.
On his part, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, praised CACOVID for its patriotic efforts which he described as “one of a kind.”
