President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ended the weeklong speculations over the role he intended Nuhu Ribadu, a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to play in his government by appointing him as Security Adviser.
Ribadu’s name was among the Special Advisers appointed by the president on Thursday, according to a statement signed by Abiodun Oladunjoye, the State House Director of Information yesterday.
He was appointed alongside Dele Alake, Wale Edun, Yau Darazo (Olu Verheijen, Zacchaeus Adedeji, John Uwajumogu, and Dr Salma Anas.
The appointment of the former anti-graft agency boss followed days of debate among not a few Nigerians, on whether he would be appointed the National Security Adviser, to replace Gen. Babagan Mungonu (rtd.)
President Tinubu has even stirred up more controversy by appointing Ribabu as Security Adviser, as many are in doubt of his actual role, considering that the president has yet to appoint a National Security Adviser, NSA.
The question being asked in security circles is whether the president intends to make Ribadu function as NSA.
The third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution provides for the National Security Council, NSC, to be headed by the president, other members include the vice president, Ministers of Foreign and Internal Affairs, National Security Adviser, NSA, Inspector General of Police, IGP, Chief of Defence Staff, amongst others.
Going by the above, the president, according to constitutional experts has three options; to appoint a substantive NSA, designate Ribadu to the role, or make the two offices function with their roles clearly defined to prevent conflict.
According to Mike Ejiofor, a former Director of the Department of State Services, DSS, the Presidency still needs to make clarifications on the appointment of Ribadu in order to prevent conflict in the nation’s security apparatus.
On his part, Soni Osa-Irabor, a security expert asserts that the presidency must clearly define the role of Ribadu in his position as a Special Adviser to the President on Security, and the NSA in case the president still has the intention of appointing somebody to the latter.
Their admonitions come amidst suggestions that the presidency is also being cautious about the appointment of Ribadu, considering the initial dust raised in the country after reports, a few days ago, that President Tinubu was planning to appoint the former anti-graft tsar as NSA.
Those familiar with security in the country had said that President Tinubu will be breaking away from tradition by appointing Ribadu NSA, considering that appointees into that position since 1999 when the country returned to participatory democracy were all former military Generals.
Those in this school of thought insist that there’s a serious conflict waiting to happen in the nation’s security sector if Ribadu, a former police officer becomes the NSA, as he will be expected to co-ordinate Service Chiefs, military Generals who are likely to undermine him because of his background as para-military officer.
“It’s really a tough decision the president has to make at this point considering that Security is part of his major agenda. The NSA is a very serious position that cannot be politicised, noting also the current security situation in the country,” a security expert who craved anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue said on Friday.
