By Madu Onuorah
On Thursday June 15, 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sidelined the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) in the appointment of a National Security Adviser (NSA) with the surreptitious appointment of former chairman of Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC) and retired Commissioner of Police, Nuhu Ribadu. To hide the intention, on number six out of list of eight, it was simply ‘Mr. Nuhu Ribadu
Special Adviser, Security.’
There was confusion as to whether Mallam Nuhu Ribadu will be just a Special Adviser to the President while another appointed as NSA. Up till today, many can’t still believe that the military was sidelined in place of a Policeman. The ego of the military was surely bruised, even if they can’t openly speak as is normal with Nigerian military officers.
Before Ribadu’s recent appointment, other former retired Police officers had been appointed as NSAs. They include former Inspector General of Police Alhaji Gambo Jimeta, (under military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida), and former Director General of State Security Services/Department of State Security (SSS/DSS), Alhaji Ismaila Gwarzo who was first appointed NSA by Interim Head of State Chief Ernest Shonekan and later Head of State, General Sani Abacha.
With the return of civil rule, the slot has been left largely for retired senior Army officers. The following held the office since the return to democratic rule in May 1999 – Lieutenant General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau (who served two administrations in the position), Colonel Lateef Kayode Are, Major General Sarki Mukhtar, General Owoye Andrew Azazi, Colonel Sambo Dasuki and now Major General Mohammed Babagana Monguno.
What is confounding is that a day after snubbing the military, President Tinubu played host to his friend, Asari Dokubo, formerly Melford Dokubo Goodhead Jr., and leader of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDPVF). The NDPVF was one of the militant groups who launched full scale war on the Nigerian State in the Niger Delta region and even bombed Abuja in pursuit of its cause of “crushing” the military.
Sitting at the Villa’s Main Media Briefing Hall, Dokubo used the coveted platform of the Office of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to launch a scathing direct attack on the same Armed Forces. Till date, he has not received a reprimand from The Presidency, making many feel it could be an unscreened uncoordinated attack.
The former Niger Delta warlord not only accused the military of masterminding the oil theft in the Niger Delta region, he accused them of incompetence as they could not effectively use the weapons’ arsenal to defeat terrorism/insurgency and banditry. And to prove that, he announced that it was his private Army, not the Nigerian Army, that is executing and ensuring security along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway and up till Minna, Niger State capital via a security contract he entered with the Federal Government.
Like a conquering hero, Asari Dokubo declared: “There is a full-scale war going on and the blackmail of the Nigerian state by the Nigerian military is shameful. They said they do not have enough armament and people listen to this false narrative. They are lying. They are liars. I repeat they are liars because I am a participant.
“I am a participant in this war. I fight on the side of the government of the Nigerian state in Plateau, Niger, Anambra, Imo, Abia and Rivers. And in Abuja today, you are travelling to Kaduna on this road. It is not the Army that makes it possible for you to travel to Abuja or travel to Kaduna, and vice versa. It is my men, employed by the government of the Nigerian State, stationed in Niger.
“Today, you travel to Baga, you go to Shiroro, you go to Wase. We have lost so many men and in all these engagements, we don’t even have one per cent of the armament deployed by the Nigerian military.
“One per cent and we have had resounding success. So, this blackmail must end. They have enough resources to fight. Instead of fighting, they are busy stealing. They are busy making the government spend unnecessarily.”
And apart from the half-hearted responses of denials by the Army and Navy, mum is the word from the military.
But the truth must be told. The once invincible Armed Forces of Nigeria that was epitome of efficiency and discipline seems to be a story told in the past. The seeming cohesiveness and fearsome exploits has been lost. In fact, the present Chief of Defence of Staff and Service are only trying to recover lost grounds.
Under the last set of CDS and Service Chiefs, the military was largely ineffective as lack of coordination/collaboration reigned even in the battle field. There was open personality clash between the Chief of Army Staff and Chief of the Air Staff. Instead of cooperating to defeat terrorism and banditry, each was busy trying to outsmart each other over a non-operational pursuits.
And to make matters worse, with the way the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) was run, it looked like it was downgraded under President Muhammadu Buhari. Its influence was so whittled down that the NSA was exchanging public spats when he ought to be working harmoniously with them, behind the scene.
Meanwhile, the functions of the office and NSA was clearly specified in Section 4(3) of the National Security Agencies Decree 1986 on roles of the Coordinator on National Security; Section 1 of the National Security Agencies Decree, 1986 (INSTRUMENT NO. NSA 1) on functions of the Coordinator on National Security to the National Security Adviser.
Furthermore, the Terrorism Prevention Act 2011, as amended in 2013, Part I, Section 2(1) states: “The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) shall be the coordinating body for all security and law enforcement agencies and under this act shall (a) provide support to all relevant security, intelligence, law enforcement agencies and military services to prevent and combat acts of terrorism in Nigeria.”
But it seemed there was no strict interpretation of these specific provisions. For example, as early as July 2016, the NSA and DSS DG, Lawal Daura, were locked in a war and a bitter battle for supremacy over probe of military procurement from 2007 to 2015 and other matters. At a point, in a memo dated June 24, 2016, DSS operatives were ordered to stay away from the interiors of Presidential Villa and restricted to the perimeters.
The NSA also had a running battle with late Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President, Abba Kyari. In February 2020, through a leaked memo, Monguno accused the CoS of undue and dangerous interference on matters bordering on national security, warning all Service Chiefs to desist from taking further directives from Mr Kyari as such directives were sometimes issued without the knowledge much less approval of the President.
In another leaked memo in the same February 2020, NSA Monguno attacked CoS Abba Kyari for overriding a Presidential directive on executing a Police equipment contract from United Arab Emirates (UAE), describing Mr Kyari’s action as “reckless and irresponsible” capable of ridiculing Nigeria as an unserious nation before a reliable international partner.
In the same February 2020, then Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, ordered the immediate withdrawal of top Army officers attached to the ONSA which included seven Colonels and three Army Generals. The remaining of 13 Army officers in the NSA were notified to report elsewhere on February 10. In total, 23 Army officers serving at the ONSA were posted out in two batches on February 4 and 10, without being replaced. Of course, Monguno rejected the redeployments as a charade, ordering the personnel to disregard Buratai’s directive and remain in place.
And in March 2021, just after President Buhari had changed the CDS and Service Chiefs, Monguno, in a BBC Hausa interview, announced that money meant for procurement of weapons were embezzled by Service Chief(s): “It is a fact that money budgeted for that purpose has been misappropriated and no one can account for it.” He was to eat his words later after realisng the backlash it raised against President Buhari and the military establishment.
Even the Inspector General of Police (IGP) was not left out in the run up to the 2023 elections. The 2023 Elections Security Committee was headed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman with NSA as co-chair, an arrangement the IGP felt was absurb as the Police provides over 80% of the personnel. Demanding his office be the co-chair, the IGP suspended the deployment of senior Police officers until he was given his rightful place.
And of course, what the ONSA lacked in terms of effective collaboration and coordination, it made up for in the area of political and media visibility. The opening of the new Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) building including the Falcon Eye maritime project was done with fanfare and it was such that the first office/project Tinubu visited as President was the ONSA/NCTC.
To compound less than alluring performance of the ONSA, the military did not acquaint itself well in the battle field in the war against terrorism and banditry. Slowly, it not only lost the respect of most Nigerians, it was diminished in status as it announced claims and kept changing timelines on feats of defeating terrorism and the sanctity of its institutions and barracks were being breached easily.
On December 31, 2016, the Nigerian Army hosted President Buhari to a Guards Brigade Regimental Dinner and presented him the captured Boko Haram flag in Abuja, signaling the defeat of the terrorists group.
In 2019, Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, declared that “the military has successfully defeated Boko Haram insurgents and what Nigeria was facing was “global insurgency.” Yet, terrorists and bandits continued to invade schools and other strategic institutions at will, without resistance.
When Nigerians accuse President Buhari of clannishness in the military and security appointments and allowing same within the system in addition to leaving Nigeria traumatized by insecurity, they are indirectly pointing to the failure of the CDS, Service Chief and heads of other paramilitary agencies especially the Police, DSS, NCSDC.
No wonder Nigerians aren’t bothered if the military is sidelined. Therefore, it is time for the military to publicly admit the decline of professionalism within its ranks. It must work to reestablish itself as the most feared fighting force in Africa. They can’t do this when they run to politicians to help influence their promotions and appointments. They must admit they are losing the respect of Nigerians and stop giving reasons for failure. The military must admit that it doesn’t have the support of Nigerians and work to stop the haemorrhaging and aim to win the confidence of the population. Their commission and enlistment are not job for the boys and girls. And in a situation that where you come from and who you know counts much more than diligence and adherence to rules, quick actions needs to be taken.
And most importantly, the military must get accustomed to this: They exist to serve Nigerians, defend Nigeria, protect vital national interests and fulfill national responsibilities professionally and effectively. They must go back to the era when all you required to enter the military are your qualities and capabilities. Promotions and/or appointments must based on how effective you are in your duties. Outside this, the declining influence of the military will continue.
Madu Onuorah, a veteran Defence/State House Correspondent, is Publisher of Global Upfront Newspapers (GUN)