By Augustine Ehikioya
To boost fight against terrorism, the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) is holding Defence Advisers/Attachés Annual Conference and Maiden Retreat for the year 2021.
The theme of the conference is “Advancing Counter Terrorism Efforts Through Enhanced Inter-Agency Cooperation: A Whole of Government Approach.”
A statement on Saturday by the Acting Assistant Director Defence Intelligence Agency, Major Joseph Afolashade, and made available to Security Watch Africa (SWA), said the event is scheduled to hold from 8-13 November, 2021 at Headquarters Defence Intelligence Agency and Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC), Asokoro, Abuja, respectively.
It reads “The event is one of the veritable platforms designed by the Agency to examine and re-appraise Nigeria’s Defence Advisers/Attachés and foreign defence relations. It will also assist in articulating new strategies in intelligence gathering.
“The event will no doubt be the first in the annals of the Agency since it’s establishment. This is owing to the fact that no platform was created for institutional reflections on its activities with a view to measuring the attainment of its core mandate.
“It is against this background that the Agency is holding this conference to effectively galvanize inputs in view of the myriads of security challenges facing the nation. It will also provide an avenue for self-examination mechanism for optimal performance.,” it said.
The statement added “This is in line with the policy directive of the President, Commander- in -Chief of the Armed Forces Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari GCFR on the need to look inward for workable solutions to the myriads of challenges facing the nation.
“It is in pursuant of this objective, that the Agency is organising it’s maiden Retreat to provide a forum to appraise the activities of the various Defence Sections as well as brainstorm to proffer new strategies in attaining the core mandate of the Agency.”
The Conference and Retreat, the statenent noted, are considered as milestone events in the activities of the Agency that would “engender interactions with past Directors of the Agency, former Chiefs of Defence Intelligence and senior intelligence practitioners in the Country.”