The House of Representatives on Monday began a two-day public hearing on a package of defence reform bills aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s military institutions, improving the welfare of service personnel and veterans, and equipping the Armed Forces to respond more effectively to evolving security threats.
The hearing, organised by the House Committee on Defence at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, brought together lawmakers, senior military officers, security experts, academics, civil society groups, veterans and other stakeholders to review proposed legislation that could significantly reshape the country’s defence architecture.
The bills come at a time when Nigeria continues to grapple with a complex and expanding security environment marked by insurgency in the North-East, banditry and mass abductions in the North-West, communal conflicts in the North-Central region, separatist violence in the South-East, and growing concerns over maritime security and cyber threats.
Declaring the hearing open, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, said the proposed legislation forms part of the 10th Assembly’s efforts to strengthen national security through institutional and legal reforms.
