AIRS Holds Book Launch, Inaugural Awards, Unveils Four Flagship Security Programmes
Oru Leonard
The African Institute of Resilience Studies (AIRS) has held its book launch and inaugural awards ceremony as part of activities marking its formal inauguration, unveiling four flagship programmes designed to strengthen community security, improve livelihoods and build resilience against emerging security and economic threats in Nigeria and Africa.
The event brought together security chiefs, policymakers, academics, traditional rulers, business leaders and other stakeholders to examine the connections between national security, governance and community resilience.
Speaking at the occasion, Chairman of the Board of Directors of AIRS, Prof. Rowland Ndoma-Egba, said societies must develop the capacity to withstand, adapt to and recover from crises, rather than depend exclusively on conventional security responses.
He identified terrorism, kidnapping, cyberattacks, epidemics, economic crises and organised crime as emerging threats requiring comprehensive national and community-based responses.
Ndoma-Egba, a gastroenterologist and liver and pancreatic surgeon, drew a comparison between the human liver’s ability to regenerate and the capacity of societies to recover from adversity.
He explained that AIRS was established as a continental centre for research, policy, practice and impact, with a mandate to strengthen civil society resilience and promote security and protection policies that deliver practical results.
He disclosed that the institute had submitted a proposal to the Federal Government committee reviewing the 2019 National Security Strategy, recommending that the document be renamed the National Security and Resilience Strategy.
According to him, security and resilience must be deliberately integrated into national planning, explaining that while security focuses on preventing, detecting and defeating threats, resilience ensures that communities, institutions and essential services continue functioning during and after crises.
In his keynote address, Prof. Tobi Alabi, Professor of Political Science, Defence and Security Studies at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, called for stronger collaboration among communities, security agencies and government institutions to address Nigeria’s persistent security challenges.
Speaking on the theme, “Building Resilience in an Era of Emerging Risks: Integrating Community Security and Governance into National Protection,” Alabi identified community participation, effective security institutions and responsive governance as three interconnected pillars of sustainable peace and national stability.
He stressed that security agencies could not successfully combat insecurity without building trust and effective relationships with the communities they serve.
He identified traditional rulers, community associations, women and youth groups as important sources of local intelligence and early-warning information, advocating improved community engagement, training, motivation and information-sharing.
Alabi also linked insecurity to unemployment, economic hardship and social vulnerability, urging government to expand economic opportunities and support systems, particularly for young people.
Meanwhile, Major General A.T. Umaru (Rtd), PhD, a member of the institute’s Board of Directors, formally unveiled the four flagship programmes.
They are Community Policing Research, Community-Based Security Model, Women and Youth Livelihood Initiative and the Community Resilience Index.
The Community Policing Research programme will examine how traditional rulers, police officers, civil society organisations and community groups can develop practical early-warning, referral and response mechanisms while respecting human rights and accountability.
The Community-Based Security Model will assess existing community security arrangements across the country, including the Civilian Joint Task Force in Borno State, Amotekun in the South-West, Kaduna State Community Watch Corps, Kano State Neighbourhood Watch Corps and Zamfara State Community Protection Guards.
The institute said the research would identify the strengths, weaknesses and legal safeguards of the different arrangements to develop adaptable frameworks for Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
The Women and Youth Livelihood Initiative will focus on strengthening the economic resilience of women and young people, particularly those affected by insecurity, displacement, drought and other crises.
The fourth programme, the Community Resilience Index, will provide government and development partners with measurable information on the preparedness and vulnerability of communities.
In its first year, AIRS plans to develop a toolkit covering seven pillars and 35 indicators, supported by a mobile data collection application and training manual.
It also plans to assess 188 communities across the six South-West states through more than 4,000 household surveys, produce a Resilience Atlas identifying vulnerable local government areas and submit a policy brief to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Office of the National Security Adviser and the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies.
The institute also announced plans to establish the Africa Journal of Resilience Management and Governance and the Resilience Leadership Academy, through which it intends to train at least 100 security officers, traditional rulers, women leaders and local government officials in its first year.
Speaking on behalf of the Special Guest of Honour, the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lieutenant General Emmanuel Undiandeye, Air Vice Marshal B.R. Mamma welcomed the establishment of AIRS, describing its focus on research, policy formulation and practical security solutions as timely.
He said the armed forces and other security institutions could not tackle the country’s security challenges in isolation, stressing the importance of reliable data, evidence-based policies and collaboration with communities.
He identified terrorism, kidnapping, child trafficking, organised crime and other emerging threats as challenges requiring coordinated responses involving government, security institutions, researchers and communities.
He also called for stronger partnerships among government, academia, civil society and development partners, urging the institute to maintain its independence, integrity and commitment to research-driven solutions.
A major highlight of the event was the launch and review of the book, Governance and Resilience in the Age of Complexity: An African Perspective.
Reviewing the publication, Prof. Emmanuel Abolo, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Risk Management Academy Limited, described it as a timely contribution to discussions on governance, security and resilience in Africa.
Abolo said the book challenged the tendency to view African governance merely through the lens of institutional failures, arguing that the continent’s experiences offered important lessons on how societies and institutions could anticipate, absorb and adapt to complex crises.
He highlighted the book’s examination of interconnected challenges, including insecurity, violence, epidemics, economic shocks, climate-related disasters and institutional weaknesses.
According to him, the publication provides a framework for understanding resilience through five capabilities: robustness, resistance, recovery, adaptation and transformation.
He commended its intellectual depth, balanced analysis, extensive use of African scholarship and practical recommendations for policymakers and practitioners.
However, he identified areas requiring further research, including digital violence, geographical coverage, community-based security arrangements and the evaluation of existing security frameworks.
The book was recommended to legislators, ministers, military and law enforcement leaders, development partners, academics, researchers and civil society organisations.
The event also featured AIRS’s inaugural awards ceremony, recognising contributions and commitment to issues relating to security, governance, research and resilience.
The institute said the book launch, awards ceremony and unveiling of its flagship programmes formed part of its broader commitment to promoting research-based solutions, strengthening institutional capacity and encouraging partnerships among government, security agencies, academia, businesses and communities.
The inauguration marks the beginning of AIRS’s planned engagement across Nigeria and the African continent to advance community protection, effective governance and sustainable resilience against emerging risks.
