By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The Minister of Defence, Gen Christopher Musa has charged personnel of the Ministry to remain vigilant, security-conscious, and proactive in mitigating safety risks.

Speaking during a Town Hall meeting with staff at the Ministry’s headquarters, Ship House, Abuja, Gen.

Musa emphasised that civilian personnel play a vital role in the national security architecture. He urged staff to report suspicious activities promptly by adopting the mantra, “See something, say something,” while maintaining situational awareness regarding personal movements.

The maiden engagement with the Minister was established to build direct communication between leadership and staff, identify operational gaps, and address pressing workforce concerns.

Expressing gratitude for the personnel’s dedication, General Musa reiterated the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to improving the welfare and working conditions of civil servants, whom he described as the engine room of government.

The Minister highlighted the necessity of strengthening civil-military cooperation, calling for unity, teamwork, and mutual respect between civilian employees and the Armed Forces. He announced plans for structured engagement programs to foster symbiotic working relationships across the ministry’s civilian and military cadres.

In her remarks, the Director Overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Bosede Olaniyi, commended the Minister for convening the session. She noted that the initiative reinforces open communication, discipline, and collective responsibility in executing the ministry’s mandate to safeguard national sovereignty.

Presenting staff concerns, Dahiru Goronyo, President of the Joint Executive Council of the Ministry of Defence Union, highlighted key issues affecting personnel welfare.

 These included delays in third-party remittance deductions, transportation challenges, training opportunities, promotion matters, and entitlement arrears. The Minister and his management team addressed the issues raised, reassuring staff of prompt resolution.

Concluding the event, the Director of Human Resources, Idris Gaya expressed appreciation to the Minister for his accessible leadership and clear strategic direction, pledging the workforce’s renewed loyalty and dedication to the administration’s goals.

According to a statement by the Minister’s Media Adviser, Leah Katung Babatunde on Tuesday, the Town Hall was attended by Directors, Heads of Departments and Units, staff across all cadres, and representatives of the media.

By David Torough, Abuja

The ongoing expansion of the Nigerian Army will strengthen the military’s operational capacity and help create the secure environment needed for entrepreneurship, the creative economy and other sectors to thrive, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has said.

Shaibu made the statement on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, while delivering a lecture titled, “Safeguarding the Orange Economy and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development: The Role of the Nigerian Army,” to participants of Senior Executive Course 48, 2026, at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State.

The COAS described the Orange Economy, which includes arts, culture, music, film and digital content, as an increasingly important contributor to employment, investment, cultural diplomacy and national development.

He said Nigeria’s creative talents had continued to project the country internationally while opening new avenues for wealth creation beyond traditional economic sectors.

According to him, creativity and entrepreneurship can only flourish in a peaceful and secure environment, as insecurity disrupts economic activities, limits mobility, discourages investment and reduces productivity.

Shaibu said the expansion of the Nigerian Army, including the establishment of additional formations and units, was aimed at extending its operational footprint, increasing its presence in vulnerable areas and improving its response to emerging security threats.

He added that the expanded force structure would strengthen the protection of communities, critical national infrastructure and economic activities, while restricting the freedom of action of terrorists and other criminal elements.

The Army chief stressed that the military’s contribution to national development extends beyond combating security threats, noting that sustained operations help create the stability required for businesses, investors, entrepreneurs and creative professionals to operate and prosper.

He also called for stronger collaboration among security agencies, government institutions, the private sector and stakeholders in the creative industry, stressing that maintaining security was a collective responsibility.

Shaibu reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to strengthening the security environment necessary to attract investment, promote entrepreneurship and support sustainable national development.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recovered over 2.3 tonnes of assorted illicit drugs in raids and interdiction operations across Ondo, Edo, Delta, Kaduna, Plateau, Bayelsa, and Kano respectively.

The Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Giving a breakdown, Babafemi said that two separate arrests at Ughelli and Asaba, Delta State yielded a haul of ampoules of pentazocine injection, codeine syrup, tramadol, diazepam, flunitrazepam (hypnox) and MDMA (Molly).

He said that several of them were concealed in music speakers, while two suspects were arrested.

Also, in Kano, a raid at Sabon Gari led to the arrest of a 20-year-old suspect with a staggering 785,000 capsules of Pregabalin weighing 669.425kg.

Similarly, Babafemi said that a stop-and-search operation along the Zaria–Kano–Hadejia road netted 1,700 tablets of diazepam concealed inside loaves of bread seized from another suspect.

He added that a 51-year-old man was also nabbed at Katako market, Jos, with 157,100 capsules of tramadol.

He also added that the agency also sustained pressure on illicit cannabis cultivation with the destruction of 4,832.56 kilograms of skunk on cannabis farms.

The NDLEA spokesman said that the farms which were at Usen Forest, Igwe-Oke Forest and Ogboha Forest, in Ovia South West, Owan East and Owan West LGA, Edo state had a suspect arrested on Friday.

In another development, NDLEA operatives in Ondo, acting on credible intelligence on Wednesday, raided a residence along Oke-Iya, Ijoka Road, Akure.

Babafemi said that they recovered 186kg of skunk concealed in the boot of a Toyota Avalon car marked ABJ 917 FV, from a 58-year-old suspect who was planning to move the consignment to Jos for onward distribution.

Additionally, in Kaduna, a female suspect was arrested at Gonin Gora with 369.6kg of cannabis, while in Bayelsa, four suspects including a 70-year-old woman were arrested at Ovom, Yenagoa, with 110 bags of cannabis weighing 876kg.

Babafemi quoted the NDLEA chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, commending the officers and men of Ondo, Edo, Delta, Kaduna, Plateau, Bayelsa, and Kano Commands for the various successful operations.

Marwa enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the agency.

He charged them to continue to shut every pipeline being used by drug cartels, whether at the airports, seaports, land borders, or in the hinterland where cannabis was cultivated.(NAN)