Eshiorameh Sebastian in Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has appointed the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to lead a high-level Nigerian team on a newly established Joint Working Group with the United States, a significant step to deepen bilateral security cooperation.
The formation of the group follows a recent visit to Washington, D.C., by a high-level Nigerian delegation which Mr Ribadu also led.
The agreement to create the joint body was a key outcome of those talks, signalling a mutual intent to strengthen collaboration against the nation’s pervasive security challenges.
In a statement from the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu formally approved the composition of the Nigerian side of the working group.
He has tasked the members to work “assiduously with their US counterparts to ensure smooth operationalisation of all agreements across sectors.”
The Nigerian team brings together the nation’s top security and policy officials, creating a multi-stakeholder framework designed for comprehensive action. It includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar; the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar; and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
Further underscoring the group’s holistic approach, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Bernard M. Doro, is also a member. The operational arms of the nation’s security architecture are represented by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun.
The secretariat for the Nigerian side will be managed by Ms. Idayat Hassan of the Office of the National Security Adviser and Mr. Paul Alabi of the Nigerian Embassy in the United States.
This move is seen as a strategic effort to formalise and inject momentum into the security partnership between the two nations.
Nigeria is grappling with multiple security threats, including widespread insurgency in the north-east, rampant kidnapping for ransom, and separatist agitation in the south-east. The involvement of cabinet-level ministers suggests the working group will address not only immediate military and intelligence coordination but also broader issues such as defence procurement, regional diplomacy, border management, and the humanitarian fallout from conflict.
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