President Bola Tinubu has approved the constitution of the Nigerian component of the United States-Nigeria Joint Working Group, a key step in advancing bilateral cooperation aimed at addressing Nigeria’s pressing security challenges.
The announcement, contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, follows the recent high-level visit to Washington, DC, by a Nigerian delegation led by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
During the trip, both countries agreed to establish the Joint Working Group as a mechanism for strengthened coordination on security.
According to the statement, Ribadu will lead the Nigerian side of the Joint Working Group and will be supported by a multi-stakeholder team drawn from strategic government institutions.
The group comprises senior officials whose portfolios directly intersect with national security, defence cooperation, intelligence, humanitarian response and internal security management.
Members include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar; Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar; Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Bernard M. Doro; Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Ms Idayat Hassan of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and Mr Paul Alabi of the Embassy of Nigeria in the United States will serve as the secretariat for Nigeria’s delegation.
President Tinubu urged the members of the Joint Working Group to work closely and diligently with their US counterparts to ensure the smooth implementation of all agreements reached across various sectors during the Washington engagements.
The establishment of the Joint Working Group is expected to strengthen intelligence sharing, strategic planning, counter-terrorism initiatives, military cooperation and other interventions designed to bolster Nigeria’s internal security environment.
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