By joshua 
Protocol.
The Chair, Board of Trustees CLEEN Foundation, the representatives of the Honorable Minister for Defence, the Nigeria Police CP Frank Mba, the Commandant General NSCDC, the Department for State Security, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Immigration Service, The Nigeria Correctional Service, Representatives of the Armed Forces here present Civil Society Representatives, the Media, Distinguished guests, Good morning.
On behalf of the Board, Management, and Staff of CLEEN Foundation, I stand here to appreciate you all for coming for this landmark event.
The timing of this roundtable discussion is unique, and it speaks volume of the concerns of Nigerians towards having a safe, peaceful, and progressive society.
The conceptualization of this Roundtable discussion on Internal Security Management in Nigeria was borne out of the need to have duty bearers discuss their operational roles, perspectives and challenges in curtailing the rising insecurity situation in the wake of existential threats and the increasing crisis of internal security in the country.
The primary responsibility of government is the protection of lives and properties within the State and in response to this definite mandate, government creates institutions saddled with the responsibility to maintain peace and order within the country.
In Nigeria, you have the Nigeria Police, and other key paramilitary agencies in the country are all working towards fulfilling the mandate of the government.
The Nigeria Police Force for instance is the lead agency in internal security, yet, contemporary security challenges have become increasingly sophisticated both in typology and scale thus, requiring a review of current strategies of operations and legal frameworks for security agencies.
In their book on Internal Security Management in Nigeria, perspectives, lessons and challenges, Oshita, Onuoha and Alumona (2019) note that the participation of non-state actors and non-state armed actors in the security space in Nigeria has also presented its own challenges in terms of the polarization of the monopoly of coercive power of the state. Further, the last two decades in Nigeria has recorded a level of insecurity more than any other time in the history of the country so far. What we have seen in this regard is the ‘regionalization of security threats’ in Nigeria.
The South-south associated with militancy, manifested in kidnapping and destruction of critical oil installations, the North-east ridden with insurgency through the emergence of the Boko Haram sect and much later ISWAP, the North-west and the North-central regions with herders-farmers clashes, armed banditry, and kidnapping for ransom and lately, the separationist agitations from the South-east primarily and in the South-west.
It is imperative to note that these regions are not precluded from other challenges identified earlier like kidnapping for ransom. These threats put together have increasingly become common features of our national life. The seeming challenges in the ability of the state to address these challenges squarely are seeing an increase in the reliance to private security actors and a call for more localized policing architecture in the communities.
It is against this backdrop that CLEEN Foundation is organizing this internal security management which will create a platform for critical stakeholders to discuss their roles in the management of internal security in Nigeria with a view to creating synergies and partnerships that can foster greater peace and security in the country. It is our expectations that at the end of this roundtable, we will witness an intensification of collaborative mechanisms through intelligence led policing, greater accountability for offenders within the ambit of the law and improved citizen security as a cardinal responsibility of the state. Finally, as we countdown to the November 6th gubernatorial elections in Anambra state, it is our earnest hope that the elections will be conducted in a safe and peaceful atmosphere and that the security of lives and properties of the voters and all election stakeholders including security officials will be guaranteed pre, during and post the elections. We thank the Ford Foundation for supporting the implementation of this timely intervention. Special thanks to all distinguished guests once again for honoring our invitation to be at this Roundtable internal security management.I thank you all for listening.
May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs. Ruth Olofin Ag.
Executive Director
CLEEN Foundation