By Ismail Abdullahi
The struggle to liberate Nigeria from the shackles of incessant insecurity challenges has never been so evident. The country had a lot to grapple with in terms of security since 1999 to say the least .
Each successive governments have made frantic efforts to stem the tide of insecurity, even when our country had the opportunity of retired military men at the helms of affairs of the country, each of these retired military turned democratic Presidents couldn’t make so much difference either simply because of their choices of individuals appointed to manage our security apparatus including the National Security Adviser or the appointment as a product of political patronage.
The appointment of National Security Adviser even in the advanced nations is critical to the extent that a President looks up to the occupant for informed, timely and intelligence driven advise to guide the President in taking informed decisions in the security management of the country.
The National Security Adviser is expected to be the rallying and coordinating point of all security agencies and management in the country, therefore is expected to be manned by someone who enjoys and commands control and respect, in the security network of our country and beyond.
The office must be devoid of any other considerations except competence, loyalty and patriotism.
The news in the grapevine of a proposed appointment of the erstwhile Chairman of the Economic and financial Crimes Commission Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as the next National Security Adviser, if so happen, would mean that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is starting on a weak footing in terms of addressing the security challenges ravaging the country.
The President needs individuals with strong character that can give his government a biting teeth to frontally address the humongous security challenges facing our country.
It would mean and seems that Ribadu appointment is a compensation where as competence should be the sole consideration for appointing the occupant of such exalted and critical office.
Mr.President should not use that position as a political settlement. The NSA office should be occupied by a technocrat and not a politician.
Ribadu, a retired police officer, we are witnesses to how he managed the EFCC under his leadership where he turned the commission to attack dogs of the government of the time and used his privileges to hunt down the political opponents.
If in the thinking of President Tinubu a trained retired police officer is desirable for the office of NSA, he should look within some of the retired Inspector General of Police who had fantastic track records and can enjoy maximum cooperation, support and respect from other security agencies, he must not lose sight of the aged long rivalries amongst them.
The appointment of who leads and occupies our security agencies is a critical one and the expectations of Nigerians is that they must be individuals with requisite experience and competences, the appointment should be devoid of any political colouration.
Nuhu Ribadu, would be recalled left Nigeria police for EFCC as an Assistant Commissioner of Police and all he did was to investigate financial and economic crimes until his retirement, he does not in anyway fits into both the character or colour of someone who would give Tinubu’s Government that desired impetus needed in the office of National Security Adviser.
The President has been getting it right on his appointment so far, but appointing Nuhu Ribadu will score him low even in the face of International Community.
Hon. Ismail Abdullahi
Writes from Kano