By Chibuike Nwabuko
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has called for innovative and far-reaching legislative measures to address Nigeria’s persistent security challenges, declaring that the country can no longer rely on approaches that have failed to deliver lasting peace and stability.
Speaking on Monday while declaring open a public hearing on a series of security-related bills organised by the House Committee on Defence, Abbas said the 10th National Assembly is determined to leave behind a legacy of transformative reforms aimed at strengthening the nation’s military and security architecture.
According to the statement signed by Musa Abdullahi Krishi – the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, House of Representatives, the hearing, chaired by the Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Hon. Babajimi Benson, focused on several bills designed to modernise the Armed Forces, improve military welfare, enhance operational effectiveness, and respond to emerging security threats.
Abbas said the current security realities confronting Nigeria have compelled the House to pursue stronger legal and institutional frameworks for the military, stressing that the public hearing was intended to foster meaningful and evidence-based engagement rather than merely endorse proposed legislation.
“The security challenges we face today demand bold, fresh thinking. The old ways have not fully worked. We must be open to legislative innovations,” the Speaker declared.
Among the bills under consideration are the Armed Forces Farms and Ranches Scheme Bill, aimed at linking food security with military operations in conflict-prone agricultural areas; the Gender Representation in the Armed Forces Bill, designed to promote greater inclusiveness within the military; the Nigerian Military Force Bill, which seeks to repeal and replace the Armed Forces Act to better address contemporary threats; and the Veterans’ Federation of Nigeria Bill, focused on improving the welfare of retired military personnel.
Other proposed legislations address military education, doctrine development, medical services, and professional training.
According to Abbas, the bills are more than routine legislative exercises, describing them as direct responses to evolving security threats and part of efforts to build a resilient, inclusive, and effective military institution.
He urged serving and retired military officers, civil society groups, gender advocates, veterans, legal practitioners, and ordinary Nigerians to actively participate in the process by submitting memoranda and making presentations.
“Do not hold back because you think your voice does not matter. It does. Do not stay away because you fear your submission will be ignored. I give you my word—every memorandum will be read, every oral presentation will be noted, and all relevant contributions will be considered and, where applicable, incorporated into the final reports and bills,” he said.
The Speaker assured stakeholders that the House Committee on Defence would conduct the exercise with transparency, fairness, and a commitment to the national interest.
“We are not here to defend any interest or hidden agenda. We are here to serve the Nigerian people and to produce legislation that will make our Armed Forces more professional, more accountable, more gender-sensitive, and more effective in protecting lives and property,” he added.
In his welcome address, Committee Chairman Hon. Benson said the proposed bills seek to address critical areas of national defence, including military education and professional development, joint operational effectiveness, healthcare services, strategic research, doctrine development, veterans’ welfare, governance reforms, food security initiatives, and greater inclusiveness within the Armed Forces.
He noted that the reforms are necessary as Nigeria confronts increasingly complex security threats ranging from terrorism and insurgency to cybercrime and transnational criminal activities.
“Collectively, these proposals represent an important effort to build a stronger, more professional, innovative, and future-ready military institution,” Benson said.
He encouraged stakeholders to contribute actively through oral presentations and written memoranda, assuring them that every submission would be carefully reviewed by the committee in the interest of producing robust and effective legislation for the nation’s security sector.
