2023 Election: DSS Holds Strategic Workshop

Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Department of State Services (DSS) has held a four-day strategic workshop for its State Directors of Security and Heads of Institutions.

Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement on Monday, the DSS Spokesman Peter Afunanya disclosed that the workshop took place between the 18th and 21st of January 2023.

During the exercise, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu presented a keynote address on the preparation of the Commission for the election.

In his address, Yakubu assured the DSS of the INEC’s determination to deliver a free, fair, and credible election.

Similarly, the INEC’s Director of Legal, Oluwatoyin Babalola, educated participants on the Electoral Act 2022 and its implications for Security agencies.

The Service further reviewed the security situation in the country and assured the Commission of its support which was in line with the President’s pronouncement to the world to bequeath a free and fair election.

As part of related trainings and courses outlined for personnel for the period, a capacity-building seminar in Public Relations was declared open by the Director General of the State Security Service (DGSS), Yusuf Magaji Bichi, on Monday, for mid-level officers drawn from the State Commands.

Participants at the capacity seminars include resource persons from the media, public relations practice, and academia.

On the occasion, Bichi reiterated the need for professionalism and neutrality of personnel in the discharge of the Service’s mandate before, during, and after the general elections.

At the end of the strategic workshop, participants pledged to work in collaboration with sister agencies, INEC, and all relevant stakeholders to ensure a peaceful election across the country.

In a related development, the DSS on 16th January 2023, commenced a two-week Joint Service training programme at the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS), Abuja.

Afunanya disclosed that participants were drawn from the country’s Armed Forces, Police, and other law enforcement and response agencies.

According to the spokesman, the Course was initiated by the Service to strengthen interagency relations in view of their separate and combined roles in the forthcoming elections, adding that the Joint Service Course is designed to promote interagency collaboration and efficiency during the elections.