(PRESS STATEMENT)
Mrs Esther Terwase Ikomi, mni, presented a paper to participants of Leadership and Strategic Studies Course 4/25 at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC), Abuja, on Tuesday, 18 August 2026.
The presentation, titled “The Role of Strategic Think Tanks in Strengthening Defence Policy and National Development: Building Strategic Advantage for Nigeria in an Era of Complex Security Threats,” examined the growing complexity of Nigeria’s security environment and the imperative of strengthening the integration of strategic think tanks and the intelligentsia into defence policymaking.
Ikomi identified the research-policy gap and weak institutional coordination as major constraints to effective defence policymaking. She also applied relevant strategic and governance theories to explain the relationship between knowledge generation, defence decision-making and national development.
As a way forward, she proposed the institutionalisation of a Formalised National Security Research-Policy Liaison Framework as the most feasible option, complemented by regional Strategic Intelligence-Policy Hubs and a National Security Foresight Hub.
She further introduced the Defence Knowledge-to-Policy Model as a practical framework for bridging the gap between strategic knowledge and defence policy, strengthening evidence-based decision-making and enhancing Nigeria’s strategic advantage.
The presentation was attended by the Director-General, NARC, Major General JGK Myam (rtd), CFR; members of the faculty; special invited guest, Brigadier General EJ Ikomi (rtd); Hadjia Fatima Ibrahim Nana Iyal, mni; other invited guests; and participants of the course comprising one Brigadier General, 32 Colonels and 11 Lieutenant Colonels.
