Tinubu To Ribadu, “You Are A Gold NSA, I’m Proud Of You”

By Adesina Soyooye

If a former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai thought he could shake the confidence President Bola Tinubu has in his National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, he has another thinking coming.

In the midst of Ribadu’s public “fight” with El-Rufai, the President has expressed implicit confidence in his NSA and the nation’s security architecture which Ribadu leads.

In a public commendation, President applauded Ribadu’s leadership and commitment in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and banditry. He described Ribadu as honest, courageous and “fully committed to national security duties.”

President Tinubu held Ribadu responsible for the successes recorded so far in the fight against terrorism.

The President to Ribadu: “With you we have defeated bandits and terrorists. You’re a gold National Security Adviser. Honest, bold, courageous and committed to the job. I believe the State of Adamawa is strongly proud of you because I am too.

Recall that in the past couple of days, the NSA has been in the news because of  allegations against him by El-Rufai, an estranged close friend and ally of his.

The former Kaduna State Governor had accused Ribadu of ordering, at will, the arrest of innocent Nigerians. He also accused him of being the mastermind behind his recent alleged near-abduction from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on his his return from Cairo, Egypt.

Proof? El-Rufai claimed in an interview with Arise Television that he was told by somebody who listened-in to the NSA’s conversations. This has rightly been interpreted as “wire-tapping” the NSA’s phone, a serious security breach.

Then, he raised the ante by accusing the NSA of importing a toxic chemical, Thallium Sulphate, a colourless and odourless poison which kills slowly, from a dealer in Poland, and sought to know why, and on whose authority and/or clearance.