The Federal Government has inaugurated a 33-member committee to review Nigeria’s 2019 National Security Strategy and develop a new framework for 2026, citing dramatic changes in the domestic, regional and global security environment since the last review.

The committee, inaugurated on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Abuja, has been given four weeks to submit its final draft, with a deadline of November 27, 2026.

National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, represented by the committee’s chairman, retired Major General Sarkin Bello, said the review was necessitated by the rapid transformation of Nigeria’s security landscape.

“Our national security landscape is undergoing rapid and profound transformations. Since the last review of our strategy in 2019, the domestic, regional and global security environments have changed dramatically, with intensity,” Ribadu said.

He identified terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, sophisticated cyber threats, misinformation, economic problems, food insecurity and environmental challenges as the key threats the new strategy must address.

Ribadu said the National Security Strategy 2026 would serve as an “overarching compass” for coordinating national security, resilience and sustainable development, and must reflect current realities while anticipating future disruptions.

“It must directly support the realisation of our national objectives amid the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in the areas of human security, economic transformation and national cohesion,” he said.

He urged the committee to engage robustly with resource institutions and strategic stakeholders to produce a document that is “realistic and implementable” rather than one filled with recommendations that cannot be translated into action.

The committee’s deputy chairman, retired Major General Evi Onumajuru, said the changing nature of security threats required a comprehensive strategic realignment.

He noted that traditional security challenges — terrorism, insurgency and banditry — had become intertwined with non-kinetic threats such as cyber vulnerabilities, economic instability, food insecurity and climate change.

“To address these complexities, our nation requires an overarching framework that moves beyond reactive measures. The National Security Strategy 2026 must be an inclusive, forward-looking and highly actionable blueprint,” Onumajuru said.

He added that the committee would consult resource institutions, private sector representatives and traditional leaders to ensure the document reflected a broad range of perspectives.

The committee comprises representatives of government ministries, the Armed Forces, intelligence agencies, law enforcement bodies, civil society organisations and academia.

Other institutions represented include the Defence Headquarters, the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the National Intelligence Agency, the Defence Intelligence Agency and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The Office of the National Security Adviser will provide administrative, technical and logistical support to facilitate the committee’s work.

The review signals a recognition that Nigeria’s security challenges have evolved beyond the conventional threats that shaped the 2019 strategy. The inclusion of cyber threats, misinformation, food insecurity and climate change reflects a broader understanding of national security that encompasses economic and environmental dimensions.

Whether the new blueprint translates into tangible improvements on the ground will depend on its implementation — and on whether the committee’s four-week timeline produces a document that is both comprehensive and actionable.