Security experts have called for an improvement in the civil-military relationship to enhance stability and development, they made the call during a recent public lecture organized by The Support Our Troop (SOT) Foundation commemoration of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day, in Abuja.

The theme of the maiden public lecture was Improving National Security through Citizens’ Involvement in Military Affairs. The keynote speaker was Dr Kabir Adamu, Managing Director, Beacon Consulting Limited, and Head of the Security and Intelligence team at the Office of the President of the Senate.

The Special Guest of Honour at the event was the Minister of Defence represented by Major General Adamu Jidda. Other guests included the Chief of Naval Staff also represented by Rear Admiral Jatau Lukka, and a former Director of Defense Information, (Rtd) Major General Chris Olukolade.

In her opening speech the founder of SOT, Mrs. Funmi Ogbue, said the theme of the public lecture was chosen against the backdrop of the enduring unrest in the Northeast and, indeed, the whole country.

She urged the citizenry to always get involved in the success of the military activities as there is unrest in every region of our country. We as citizens, knowing that the military are probably less than 10 per cent of the population of the country.

The Coordinator, Peace Support Operation, Maj. Gen. Adamu Jidda, who represented the Minister of Defence, in his remarks, noted that civilian cooperation with the military had greatly helped in countering the activities of the Boko Haram terrorists. He said information obtained from civilians during warfare had the tendency of improving military response to threats.

In his goodwill message, the Director of Administration, Naval Headquarters Abuja, Rear Admiral Jatau Luka, who represented the Chief of Naval Staff, commended SOT’s initiative to organise a public lecture geared at encouraging civilian support for the military. He said the theme of the lecture came at a time when the military required the support of the civil society.

As a way forward and to promote civil-military relations based on trust and goodwill, the keynote speaker, Dr. Kabir Adamu, proposed the adoption of the New Security Paradigm which, he explained, moves away from the militaristic focus of the Realist Paradigm, for example, and talks instead of broad security, caring security, and new critical security that includes human security.

He defined human security as the absence of threat to human life, lifestyle and culture through the fulfilment of basic needs which give prominence to the security needs of the common man and woman.

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