Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo: Propagating the Development of the Security Conscious Mindset

Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo is the 21st indigenous Chief of the Naval Staff. The 36 Regular Course member of the Nigerian Defence Academy has a Bachelors’ Degree in Economics from the NDA, a Post Graduate Diploma in Transport Management and a Master’s Degree in Transport Management-Logistics Option, from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso. Recently, he co-authored a gold mine of information on “Developing a Security Conscious Mindset”, which was launched at the 2021 Chief of Naval Staff Conference in Kano. Chiemelie Ezeobi reports that the book, among other things, delved into security strategies in relation to the human mind

“If there is any lesson that has been ingrained in me as a career military officer, it is the fact that being security conscious is a mindset required for survival in any clime.” The above statement was written by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, as the foreword of the book co-authored by the 21st indigenous Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo and Mr. Abiodun Adebanjo.

The foreword was again read by the CDS at the recently held 2021 Chief of the Naval Staff Conference (CONSAC) held in Kano. Titled “Developing a Security Conscious Mindset”, the book was launched by retired and serving service chiefs; Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje; CDS, General Lucky Irabor; Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi; members of Navy Committees in the National Assembly, and traditional rulers.

Describing the book as a scholarly piece of work which focused on security education in Nigeria, the CDS said the authors observed a general lack of individual security consciousness in the country and considered this as an anomaly to the overall security architecture.

Key Derivatives

On what influenced the book, the authors said “the rising wave of insecurity today has brought to the fore, the reality that security is everyone’s concern. The need for a secure and safer society is therefore ever more important as globalisation continues to break barriers of distances and foster integration of people.

“This book presents a lucid and simple introduction to the subject of personal security and its relationship with the mindset of the individual. At its core, the mindset of an individual is a powerful tool that could create a false sense of security or indifference if one’s situation is not objectively evaluated.

“Developing a Security Conscious Mindset”, takes readers through this delicate journey in their most basic forms. It will help readers see the pitfalls in their lack of security awareness and the implications of their otherwise overlooked actions.”

According to them, the book is an essential work for anyone who wants to go beyond mere passive reaction towards security matters to the next step; contributing to the achievement of a safer and more secure society as the authors weaved a combination of simple security strategies and psychology with their personal experiences in the military and study of human mindset/behaviour in this masterpiece.

Breakdown of Chapters

For easy readership, the book was segmented into three parts, which was targeted at the armed forces, other law enforcement agencies and the general populace who may desire to acquire some tips on their personal and environmental security.

While Chapter One dealt with Understanding Insecurity, Chapter Two harped on Understanding Mindset, Attitude and Behaviour, Chapter Three treated Security in Perspective and Chapter Four tackled General Security Breaches and Tips on Preventing/Addressing Them.

In Chapter Five, Current Global Security Threat: Insurgency and Terrorism was touched on while in Chapter Six, the book tackled Kidnapping: How To Prevent And Survive It, in Chapter Seven, the authors dealt on Cybersecurity while Chapter Eight talked about the Security Conscious Mindset where the Need for Security Education and Awareness was handled.

Commendation

While stating that the book is considered a valuable knowledge and training resource and companion in the journey of developing a security conscious mindset, the CDS said the authors were able to conceptualise security and elaborate on the need for everybody’s participation to ensure its effectiveness.

Personally commending Gambo for his “grasp on security matters”, which he said has never wavered throughout their over three decades of being in the military, the CDS noted that “He has continually demonstrated excellent capacity in this field, reflecting the self development attested to by the qualifications and experience acquired over the years. His ability to do proper justice to this book is therefore not debatable.”

The CDS also described the co-author, Mr Abiodun Adebanjo as equally ” a man of substance and his qualifications in the field of soft security are also exemplary”.

About the Authors

Vice Admiral Gambo was admitted into the Nigerian Defence Academy on September 24, 1984 as a member of 36 Regular Course. Aside from his first and second degrees, Vice Admiral Gambo attended the National Defence College in the Republic of South Africa in 2012.

He is a Fellow of the Certified Institute of Shipping (FCIS), member United States Naval Institute (USNI), member Institute of

Safety Practitioners (ISP) and member International Institute of Professional Security (IIPS) among others.

In his illustrious career, he served at the Office of the National Security Adviser as Deputy and Acting Director Defence Affairs as well as Director of Procurement at the Defence Space Administration among other appointments before he became the 23rd CNS and 21st Indigenous CNS in January 2021. Vice Admiral AZ Gambo is happily married to Hajiya Nana Aishat Gambo and blessed with children.

His co-author on the other hand, Abiodun Adebanjo was educated at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Nigeria with a Master’s Degree in Political Science. According to his bio, his area of interest is “Analysis of Behaviour in Political Settings” with a focus on “Corruption as a phenomenon”.

Abiodun is a staff of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Department of Planning, Research and Statistics) and is married to Mrs. Mary Abiodun Adebanjo and blessed with children.