By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd.), has described national security as the bedrock of Nigeria’s ambition to build a trillion-dollar economy, stressing that sustainable economic growth depends on a secure environment, strong governance and credible institutions.
Musa stated this while delivering a keynote address titled “National Security: Pathway to a Trillion-Dollar Economy” at the 56th Annual Accountants’ Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Leah Katung-Babatunde, said Musa emphasised that national security should be viewed beyond conventional military operations and law enforcement, describing it as a critical economic catalyst for protecting human capital, safeguarding critical infrastructure and creating the confidence required to attract long-term investments.
The minister noted that investors would be reluctant to commit capital where lives and assets were not adequately protected, adding that economic growth could not be sustained without effective security.
“No investor commits capital where lives and assets are not safe, and no economy grows beyond the reach of its security,” he said.
Musa acknowledged Nigeria’s security challenges, including attacks on communities, highway kidnappings and sporadic insurgent activities, but expressed confidence that ongoing operations by the Armed Forces of Nigeria were helping to restore stability across economic corridors, agricultural belts and industrial zones.
He said the Federal Government’s efforts, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, were focused on leveraging national security to drive economic expansion.
According to him, the strategic priorities include protecting strategic economic assets, promoting good governance and human capital development, strengthening defence financial discipline, improving cybersecurity and financial intelligence, and expanding domestic defence industrial capacity.
The minister also announced the establishment of a joint Ministry of Defence–ICAN Implementation Committee to advance areas of collaboration proposed by the ICAN President, Hajia Queensley Seghosime, mni, FCA.
The proposed partnership will focus on specialised training in public financial management and accounting standards for Armed Forces personnel, joint training programmes in forensic accounting and financial intelligence to combat terrorism financing, as well as improved corporate governance and welfare schemes for veterans.
Musa commended ICAN for its commitment to fiscal discipline and transparency, noting that professional financial management and a secure national environment were essential to Nigeria’s long-term economic prosperity.
He said closer collaboration between the defence sector and professional financial institutions would strengthen accountability, improve resource utilisation and support the country’s broader economic development objectives.
