Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has said Nigeria’s worsening security challenges can only be effectively addressed through a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic approaches.
The governor made the remarks on Monday during a courtesy visit by participants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) 19 of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) to Government House, Yenagoa.
Represented by his deputy, Peter Akpe, Diri stressed that military action alone could not resolve insecurity, insisting that inclusive governance and equitable distribution of resources were essential to give citizens a sense of belonging.
He said the Bayelsa government was sustaining peace in the state largely through non-kinetic measures, including youth employment initiatives, skills acquisition programmes.
Others he mentioned were scholarships and the opening up of rural communities through road and bridge construction to stimulate socio-economic development.
Describing the theme of the NISS study tour, “Ethnic Militias and Resource Competition in Africa: Implications for National Security,” as timely, Diri said Bayelsa and the wider Niger Delta provided a suitable environment for such research.
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He recalled that past agitations in the Niger Delta were driven by decades of neglect and marginalisation, despite the region’s massive contribution to Nigeria’s economic wealth.
According to him, feelings of exclusion from resources often push affected communities towards violence.
The governor commended the leadership of the NISS for investing in the intellectual and professional development of Nigeria’s security architecture, displaying confidence that the study would generate insights to strengthen national security.
Vivian Okpeh, the NISS team lead said the EIMC 19 programme is a 10-month intensive course designed to equip participants with advanced skills in intelligence management, strategic leadership and security policy formulation.
She disclosed the study theme was chosen in response to the growing influence of militia groups across Africa and their impact on governance, economic stability and national development.
Okpeh also called for closer collaboration between the institute and the Bayelsa State Government, stressing the NISS’s readiness to partner the state in hosting and training participants of the 2027 EIMC programme.