By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
In a major policy shift linking security with economic recovery, the Federal Government has inaugurated a high-powered committee to reclaim Nigeria’s vast ungoverned spaces and reposition military veterans as frontline contributors to national security and development.
The initiative, unveiled on Tuesday at the Ministry of Defence headquarters, Ship House, Abuja, is designed to tackle the twin challenges of insecurity and veterans’ welfare by deploying the experience, discipline and local knowledge of ex-servicemen to stabilise neglected territories and unlock their economic potential.
The 18-member committee, formally titled “Reclaiming Ungoverned Spaces for Economic Viability and the Repositioning of the Nigerian Legion Corps of Commissionaires and Veterans,” was inaugurated by the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), who described the Nigerian Legion as a strategic national institution with a proud legacy of service, sacrifice and patriotism.
Represented at the event by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Richard Pheelangwa, the Defence Minister said the decision to reform and reposition the Nigerian Legion was driven by changing socio-economic realities and the urgent need to adopt more sustainable approaches to national security.
According to him, the Legion has continued to play important roles in supporting security operations and veterans’ affairs, but structural and operational limitations have constrained its full potential.
“This initiative is a deliberate and strategic policy intervention,” the Minister said, “aimed at ensuring that veterans who served this nation with honour are not abandoned, but empowered to live dignified, productive lives while contributing meaningfully to national development.”
General Musa said the committee’s mandate reflects a growing recognition that military firepower alone cannot deliver lasting peace, insisting that enduring stability requires addressing the socio-economic conditions that allow insecurity to thrive.
He called for a strategic shift from over-reliance on offensive military operations to a broader, inclusive security architecture that integrates development, community trust and economic opportunity.
To that end, the Minister outlined three key terms of reference for the committee: repositioning the veteran community to support national economic development;
Deploying veterans to secure and stabilise ungoverned spaces and bring them under effective oversight;
Reforming the Nigerian Legion Corps of Commissionaires to strengthen operations, ease veterans’ reintegration and enhance their contribution to national security.
He challenged committee members to adopt innovative and forward-looking solutions that align with contemporary security and development realities, stressing that the deliberate integration of veterans into security and development initiatives would deepen local ownership, improve intelligence gathering and rebuild trust between communities and the state.
“Veterans understand terrain, communities and the cost of insecurity. Their involvement will strengthen our national response in ways conventional approaches cannot,” he added.
General Musa expressed confidence that the committee would deliver practical, actionable recommendations capable of shaping a holistic national strategy for reclaiming ungoverned spaces, promoting inclusive economic growth and sustaining peace across the country.
Membership of the committee cuts across key defence and security institutions, including the Joint Services Department of the Ministry of Defence, the Nigerian Legion, Defence Headquarters, Defence Intelligence Agency, the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force, alongside representatives from the offices of the Minister of Defence and the Minister of State for Defence.
With insecurity continuing to undermine livelihoods and economic activity in large swathes of the country, the government says the new committee represents a bold attempt to convert neglected territories from security liabilities into engines of growth while restoring purpose and pride to Nigeria’s veteran community.
