ONSA’s structural, strategic evolution under Monguno

ONSA’s structural, strategic evolution under Monguno

By Kayode Adebiyi

On Tuesday, March 21, 2023, the National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno, touched on two very significant aspects of the operations of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) which were either unfamiliar to or insufficiently appraised by a substantial section of the public.

The NSA was speaking at the commissioning of the new ONSA and National Counterterrorism Centre (NCTC) buildings performed by President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Three Arms Zone, Abuja.

First of the two points Monguno laid bare concerns question about how ONSA derived its mandate. He said the office was created by Decree 19 of 1986 and validated by the 1999 Constitution as the National Security Agencies Act. The same law created the Department of State Services, the National Intelligence Agency and the Defence Intelligence Agency.   “The Office, through the activities of key interagency intelligence-sharing platforms such as the Intelligence Community Committee, Joint Intelligence Board, General Security Appraisal Committee and the Cybercrime Advisory Council, assesses the security concerns of the country and advises the President on all matters bordering on national security,” he said.

The second aspect of ONSA’s operations he pointed out deals with the increasing responsibilities emerging and evolving security threats have placed on the office through the formulation of new policies and creation of new departments, as well as the strengthening of existing ones.

Indeed, in the past eight years, there have been the design or amendments of strategies aimed at addressing emerging and evolving security threats such as violent extremism, terrorism, cybercrime, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, control of the use of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives (CBRNE) related materials by non-state actors, and so on.

The Terrorism Prevention Act, first signed into law in 2011 and amended in 2013 and 2022, as well as the National Counterterrorism Strategy (NACTEST), the Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy, the National Security Strategy and the Policy Framework and National Action Plan for Prevention and Countering Violent Extremism, have all broadened the counterterrorism responsibilities of ONSA.

These policies and strategies led to the establishment of various departments, such as the NCTC; the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons; the Cybersecurity Coordination Centre; and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons. They have also led to the upgrade of existing departments, including the Intelligence Fusion Centre (IFC).

NSA Monguno’s decision to clarify where ONSA derived its mandate and what necessitated the expansion of its functions was understandably based on previous antecedents and misconceptions about its role, which fueled an imaginary function of ONSA not contained in the statute from which it was established.

Under Monguno, one of the cardinal shifts in the approach taken by ONSA in Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) was the mainstreaming of implementation in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), while the office concentrates on its core function of coordinating efforts as stipulated by the Terrorism Prevention Act (as amended) 2022. And through ONSA, Nigeria has also been an active player in global security cooperation. From co-hosting a virtual meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS with the United States to hosting the first-ever National Chemical Security Training Conference in collaboration with NAFDAC and the United States Department of States; Co-chairing (along with Switzerland) the Criminal Justice and the Rule of Law (CJ-ROL) Working Group of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) to co-organising the First Expert Meeting of the Working Group for the development of a set of recommendations on Rule of Law-Based Administrative Measures in Counter-Terrorism Context, Nigeria is globally recognised for contributing significantly to counterterrorism policy and practice efforts.

Domestically, ONSA has been spearheading strong inter-agency collaboration to tackle national security threats across various components. One such is the facilitation of the effective tackling of some key threats within Nigeria’s maritime environment through the Falcon Eye maritime domain surveillance system. “It is for this reason (of inter-agency collaboration) that the project (Falcon Eye) has a maritime stakeholders’ cell here in the Main Control Centre to accommodate representatives of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Nigerian Ports Authority and Marine Police, amongst others,” Monguno said at the launching of the project.

By spearheading collaborations and partnerships with bilateral and multilateral organisations, as well as partner countries, Monguno’s ONSA has embarked on significant efforts leading to appreciable achievements to ward off threats to Nigeria’s national security. For instance, in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the Office developed the Demobilisation, Disassociation, Reintegration and Reconciliation (DDRR) Action Plan for the country. Also, in partnership with UNDP, has embarked on a series of sensitisation workshops on P/CVE targeting key stakeholders for effective grassroots networking. The ONSA has since made coordination, inter-agency collaboration and strategic communication crucial creeds which drive the government’s efforts on national, regional and global security.

Thus, the commissioning of the new, state-of-the-art ONSA and NCTC building complex with advanced facilities was a culmination of all the good work Monguno and his team have been putting into issues of national security. An evidently excited and proud President Muhammadu Buhari could not hide his pleasant surprise and admiration for his NSA, who is known for his preference for outcomes than propaganda. While congratulating Monguno “for this noble achievement”, the president expressed confidence that the commissioning of the new office complex and facilities would in no small measure enhance the desired peaceful and secure environment for the country.

The UN Resident Coordinator for Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, commended Nigeria for the progress made by the military to degrade the operational capacity of Islamic State West Africa Province and Boko Haram and to improve intelligence gathering on suspected terrorists. He pledged that the UN would continue to work closely with the Nigerian government in its ongoing counter-terrorism efforts in various capacities.

He also reserved special praise for the NSA, saying, “We further commend the development of threat assessments and watchlists by Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, the active cooperation with Interpol, the establishment of multiagency screening processes, the trials of multiple terrorist suspects, and the development of Federal and State rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.”

As alluded to by President Buhari, with the kind of capacity, policy frameworks, facilities and forged partnerships ONSA is rooted in under Monguno, the next administration is going to inherit national security capabilities that are kept abreast with the highest global standards.

Kayode Adebiyi is Abuja based communication and security analyst.