By Chibuike Nwabuko
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) — Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has called for a major shift in Nigeria’s security strategy, urging the country’s defence industry to strengthen local arms production while charging financial institutions to intensify efforts against criminal and terrorist financing.
Speaking at the Nigeria People’s Strategic Conference and Defence Exhibition 2026 in Abuja on Saturday, Kalu said Nigeria must reduce its dependence on imported weapons and develop a robust homegrown defence ecosystem capable of creating jobs, boosting national security, and reducing vulnerabilities.
According to the statement signed by Levinus Nwabughiogu, Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, made available to Precise Post, the conference, themed “Building a Modern Security Ecosystem: Integrating Private Sector Capacity into Nigeria’s National Security Architecture,” brought together stakeholders from the defence sector, financial institutions, civil society organisations, and security agencies.
Addressing participants, Kalu stressed the need for every sector to play a defined role in strengthening the nation’s security architecture.
According to him, the defence industry must expand local manufacturing capacity, while the technology sector should provide platforms for intelligence sharing and community-based early warning systems. He also urged the financial sector to tighten monitoring mechanisms to disrupt illicit financial flows linked to criminal networks and terrorism.
“Every sector represented in this room must leave with a specific, measurable role in Nigeria’s security architecture,” Kalu said.
“The defence industry must deepen local capacity so that we do not import what we can produce. The technology sector must offer platforms for intelligence sharing and community early warning. The financial sector must tighten the chokepoints through which criminal and terrorist financing flows. The civil society must continue to build the bridges between communities and government that make sustainable peace possible.”
The Deputy Speaker assured stakeholders that the National Assembly would continue to provide the legal and institutional framework needed to support national security efforts through constitutional reforms, appropriation of resources, and legislative oversight.
He highlighted the recent overwhelming support in the House of Representatives for the State Police constitutional amendment, revealing that lawmakers voted 289 to 2 in favour of the proposal.
“I am proud to serve in an assembly that just two days ago voted 289 to 2 in favour of a safer Nigeria. That near-unanimity was not partisan; it was patriotic,” he said.
Kalu urged stakeholders across government, the private sector, and civil society to unite in building a stronger and more secure nation.
“There is a Nigeria on the other side of this season. That Nigeria is not a promise; it is a project. A project that belongs to all of us, both the legislature and the executive, the uniform and the suit, the community and the corporation, the government and the governed,” he stated.
The Deputy Speaker also rejected narratives suggesting that Nigeria is a failing state, insisting that the country’s ongoing efforts to overcome security challenges demonstrate resilience rather than collapse.
“Nigeria is not failing. Nigeria is fighting. There is a difference. A failing country stops trying. Nigeria has never stopped trying. That is our heritage. That is our irreducible character,” he said.
He, however, noted that resilience alone would not be enough, stressing that courage must be backed by sound policies and a well-structured security ecosystem capable of protecting lives and safeguarding national dignity.
Precise Post recalls that the event emphasized renewed calls for stronger collaboration among government institutions, the private sector, and civil society in addressing Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
