By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Alumni Association of the National Defence College (AANDEC) on Monday in Abuja advocated for concerted efforts to secure the nation’s forests.

The association also advocated for the deployment of technology by the military and other security agencies in tackling insecurity across the country.

AANDEC made the calls at a news conference addressed by its president, retired Air Commodore Darlington Abdullahi, to herald its 12th national security seminar.

The seminar, with the theme: “Application of Technology as Force Multiplier in Enhancing Peace and Security in Nigeria’’ holds in Abuja on Tuesday and Wednesday.

AANDEC organises the seminar annually in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser and the National Defence College, to address, contemporary national security issues.

Abdullahi said the call for adoption of technology in fighting insecurity became necessary owing to the issue of uncovered spaces and number of forests being used by criminals as hideouts.

He said that AANDEC believed that it was time to consolidate on the successes already achieved by applying some force multipliers, considering the spread of criminal activities.

He added that there was the need to leverage on technology to adequately enhance security operations and put an end to terminologies such as “ungoverned spaces’’ and “unknown gunmen’’.

According to him, there is a limit to which the military can continually increase the physical strength of the security services.

Abdullahi noted that the association’s suggestions would, however, not replace good governance as a means of ensuring that Nigerians are adequately catered for and given a sense of belonging.

He commended the research and development efforts of the armed forces of Nigeria and those of other security agencies.

He suggested that the efforts could be increased through the consideration of private sector participation in the funding and management of the Nigeria Defence Industrial Complex.

He added that the efforts must be developed with a business model supported by state protection and aggressive regional marketing focused on local resources such as in technical education.

“The need to develop or review a Military Technology Development Strategy for the nation, especially the defence industrial base, deserves more attention now to aid self-sufficiency in defence equipment production.

“This can be achieved by developing clusters of interrelated value chains within category-based technological specificities such as the production of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles,’’ he said.

He noted that Brazil adopted the approach to prevent proliferation of research institutes.

He said also that AANDEC chose theme of the seminar to aid the development of a robust national defence industry, it’s funding and administration.

“This is considering all we have gone through in trying to manage or resolve conflicts and dealing with terrorists, insurgents, and cyber criminals, bandits and unknown gunmen,’’ Abdullahi explained