By Mokobia Rita
ASABA/Nigeria: Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has called for the lessons from the 2026 Rapid Response 3 crisis exercise hosted in Asaba to be translated into sustained cooperation among security and emergency-response agencies across the state and the country.
Oborevwori made the call on Thursday at the closing ceremony of the five-day exercise organised by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) through the Presidential Communication Command and Control Centre (PC4).
The governor, represented by his deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme, said the exercise provided an opportunity for security and emergency-management institutions to test their readiness and identify areas where coordination, intelligence sharing and response mechanisms could be strengthened.
He said the decision to take the national crisis-response exercise outside Abuja for the first time, with Delta as the host state, was particularly significant because of the state’s strategic economic, commercial and maritime importance.
According to him, the security of Delta’s communities has implications beyond the state, given its role in Nigeria’s economy and the presence of critical national assets.
The governor said the changing nature of security threats required agencies to work together rather than operate in isolation, adding that effective crisis management depended on timely intelligence, coordinated decision-making and rapid deployment.
He described security as a shared responsibility involving government institutions, security agencies, emergency responders, traditional rulers, communities and citizens.
Oborevwori also commended ONSA for selecting Asaba as the venue and praised the participating agencies for their professionalism and commitment throughout the exercise.
He, however, said the success of the programme should not be judged solely by the completion of the simulation.
“The lessons learnt, skills acquired, the inter-agencies relationships established and the operational capabilities developed must be further sharpened, sustained beyond today and put to effective use,” he said.
The governor assured that his administration would continue to work with the Federal Government, security agencies, traditional institutions, communities and other stakeholders to strengthen security and protect lives, property and critical infrastructure in Delta.
He urged participants to take the knowledge and experience gained from the exercise back to their respective institutions and make inter-agency cooperation a permanent part of their operational culture.
Representing the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, at the ceremony, the Director of the Presidential Communication Command and Control Centre, Rear Admiral Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, thanked the Delta Government for its support in hosting the exercise.
Ribadu, through Ayo-Vaughan, described Delta’s hosting of the exercise as evidence of the state’s commitment to strengthening security and its partnership with the Federal Government.
The Rapid Response 3 exercise is the seventh national crisis-response simulation organised by ONSA and the first to be conducted outside the Federal Capital Territory. The exercise brought together security, emergency-response and other relevant government institutions to test crisis-management plans, communication systems, command structures and inter-agency coordination.
