President Bola Tinubu has approved the Nigerian membership of the US–Nigeria Joint Working Group, a bilateral mechanism designed to strengthen collaboration between both countries in addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.
The approval followed last week’s high-level engagements in Washington, DC, where a Nigerian delegation led by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, held extensive talks with senior US government officials.
The creation of the joint working group was one of the key outcomes of those meetings.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement on Thursday that Ribadu will lead the Nigerian side of the working group and will be supported by a multi-stakeholder team drawn from critical national security, diplomatic, defence, and humanitarian agencies.
Members of the working group include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Bernard M. Doro.
Also on the team are the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Mohammed Mohammed, and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
The statement named Ms. Idayat Hassan of the Office of the National Security Adviser and Mr. Paul Alabi of the Nigerian Embassy in Washington as members of the secretariat that will support the working group’s activities.
President Tinubu urged the newly constituted team to “work assiduously” with their US counterparts to ensure the smooth operationalisation of all agreements reached during the talks and to strengthen cooperation across multiple sectors.
The Joint Working Group is expected to fast-track coordination on intelligence sharing, operational support, humanitarian response, and other bilateral commitments aimed at bolstering Nigeria’s national security architecture.