In a recent address to members of the Executive Intelligence Management Course 17 at the National Institute for Security Studies, Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate, emphasised the critical role of intelligence gathering in enhancing security across Africa.
Senator Akpabio, speaking during a courtesy visit by the course participants, stressed the importance of deploying gathered knowledge to bolster security efforts not only in West Africa but across the continent and globally.
The ten-month course, themed “Artificial Intelligence, Security, and Emerging Economies in Africa: Challenges and Prospects,” had in attendance participants from 30 security-related agencies in Nigeria and five African countries.
During the session, Senator Akpabio highlighted the current global security landscape, citing various threats such as cross-border banditry, kidnapping, insurgencies, and disrupted democracies in neighbouring countries.
Senator Akpabio stressed the importance of intelligence gathering, stating, “Be mindful of the need for intelligence. It is extremely important in any operation.”
He highlighted the current global insecurity, ranging from Gaza to Ukraine, Iraq, and neighbouring countries with disrupted democracies, along with issues like cross-border banditry, kidnapping, and insurgencies. Addressing the course participants, he remarked, “That is why you are here, and it is expected that with the knowledge that you have gathered things would be different when you go back to your duty posts.”
Furthermore, Senator Akpabio provided insights into the workings of the parliament, underscoring its significance as the engine room of democracy, during a session where he discussed legislative processes and oversight functions.
D. E. Egbeji, Deputy Commandant and Director of Studies at the National Institute for Security Studies, expressed gratitude to Senator Akpabio for his continuous support of the Institute, dating back to his tenure as Governor of Akwa Ibom State. He highlighted the Institute’s legacy project and past collaborations with Senator Akpabio, including hosting past participants and serving as a guest lecturer.
The choice of the Senate for the study was attributed to its pivotal role in democracy, with participants set to produce a position paper for the President and Commander-in-Chief based on their research on deploying artificial intelligence for security.