National
US Can Sight The Terrorists in Nigeria Through Technology, But We Lack the Capacity for That Technology — Presidential Media Aide, Daniel Bwala
By Micheal Chukwuebuka
Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has highlighted Nigeria’s technological limitations in tracking armed groups in real time.
Discussing the challenges of monitoring large, mobile gangs, he responded to a question about how difficult it is when “you have 300–500 people on bikes coming into a village, and they become so invisible to the Nigerian government, while America will say they can see them and Nigeria cannot.”
He explained, “Americans are seeing them because of the satellite which Nigeria does not have. Now, let me answer you. I’m going to be more pragmatic. Americans are seeing them through technology because Americans are not on the ground.” When asked whether Nigeria cannot acquire the technology, Bwala replied, “No, we don’t have the capacity for that technology.”
Bwala also addressed Nigeria’s use of drones, noting that the country does operate some systems. “There are drones that only collect intel. They collect visual, photo, whatever, digital, stop there. There are ones that also strike. We do not have those drone systems that will identify and eliminate. And that is what you need,” he said, emphasizing that merely identifying armed groups is insufficient because they are constantly on the move.
He further cited financial and logistical constraints.
“The funds that we are giving to security in terms of budget, we cannot afford it. Even if you have somebody who has it, he has to sell it to you. You know that you cannot go to the international market. It’s not like a shop where you go there, you buy,” Bwala said.
Despite these challenges, he stressed Nigeria’s ongoing collaboration with the United States.
“However, Americans and Nigeria have been collaborating very robustly. In fact, it’s not as if we are not accessing it,” he added, pointing to efforts to strengthen the country’s security operations through international support.
