INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION AND DEFENCE GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA: LEVERAGING ON WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT APPROACH

Abstract

The lack of culture of collaboration inside the federal agencies in Nigeria, has led to poor adaptability and flexibility in the current defence governance system in Nigeria. As a result, the absence of inter-agency coordination and collaboration pushes agencies to focus on their own objectives and ambitions. With current security challenges in the country, the need for inter-agency collaboration is becoming increasingly important and has been recognized as a prerequisite for ensuring the country's national security. In order to be effective, the defence governance framework cannot only be a collection of individual parts. A notion that might produce a coordinated effort amongst intergovernmental agencies to optimize all available resources in a joint effort is a whole of government approach to planning, programming, and budgeting for defence governance. Addressing current security threats is more about identifying, avoiding, and managing disruptions, such as the development of terrorist activities, banditry, separatist agitations and global pandemics. Due to this, a comprehensive strategy to defence governance at all levels of government has been recommended. The paper interrogates inter-agency collaboration and defence governance in Nigeria, and recommends ways to leverage on whole of government approach.