As the fight against insecurity in Nigeria progresses, Nigerians have stepped up calls for the various security units in the country to work together to ensure peace and safety of properties. Many Nigerians, who have commended the appointment of Retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Nuhu Ribadu as Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, taking over from Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (retd), said synergy among the security chiefs and cohesion will make the country a safer place to live.
There are high expectations from Nigerians and the international community for Mallam Ribadu and the security chief to not only curb insecurity and restore calm in the country, but to rebuild the damaged reputation of the Nigerian defence structure.
A former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani said Nigerians expect the new National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu to employ a different approach to achieve a better result in the fight against insecurity in the country. Sani stated this in a statement via his verified Twitter handle. He tasked Ribadu to end the criminality of terrorism, banditry, killings, and kidnappings across the country.
The Kaduna lawmaker also urged Ribadu to ensure the protection of schools and farmers from terrorists.
The immediate past chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Army, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas, described the new NSA and service chiefs as square pegs in square holes.
He said, “In my view, the President made an excellent selection of officers that can help him fight insecurity in Nigeria. As the Chairman, House Committee, I got to know the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen C.G. Mwusa and the Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen T.A. Lagbaja. They have held command positions and they are very respected in the Nigerian Army. I have been told that the two other service chiefs are thorough professionals. When you add Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as National Security Adviser, I believe they will help the President achieve the desired results. As far as I am concerned, these men are square pegs in square holes.”
On the appropriateness of Ribadu’s appointment as NSA, Namdas said the choice of a police officer as National Security Adviser is not new.
According to the director-general, DG of Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, MINILS, Issa Aremu, the appointment of Mallam Ribadu as the nation’s NSA, has renewed hope among Nigerians that the security sector reform initiated by former President Muhammadu Buhari would be further deepened.
Speaking at the sidelines of the 2023 Ilorin Emirate Durbar, Aremu congratulated Mallam Ribadu as the 10th NSA and said that based on experience and capacity, Mallam Ribadu was eminently qualified for the job of advising the President on national security matters.
“As a member 2008 Senior Executive Course (SEC 30) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS) Kuru Jos, Mallam Ribadu was sufficiently exposed to the tasks of building a better Nigeria. He is also politically tested to know that what is at stake is renewed Hope for secured lives and properties for Nigeria and Nigerians,’’ he said.
Also, the Coalition of Northern Groups commended the appointment of Malam Nuhu Ribadu as the NSA. The CNG in a statement by the spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, in Abuja, viewed this appointment as incontrovertible proof of President Tinubu’s commitment to the discharge of the vital task of providing adequate security to citizens.
Describing the appointment as a square peg in a square hole, the coalition said Nuhu Ribadu appropriately fits the position he is called to occupy as a universally acknowledged security expert blended in rare quality of fortitude and strength of character.
Meanwhile, the Niger Delta Youths Education and Development has advised the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, against retaining the current leadership of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP.
Convener of the group, Mr. Peter Etolor, in a letter addressed to Ribadu, held that doing so would be a disservice to the transformative new hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
A former Niger Delta agitator, Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, has expressed his belief that Ribadu will bring innovations that will drive the security apparatus of the nation to an enviable height.
Ribadu, at a brief event held in Abuja on Monday, expressed his commitment to fulfilling the expectations of Nigerians and ensuring the safety and security of the country.
“We will stabilise this country, we will secure our country, and we will make Nigeria peaceful because we believe the time has come for this country to enjoy peace, restore order, and uphold the rule of law just like any other country in the world. “This enormous task of securing our country is that of all Nigerians and all friends of Nigeria,” Ribadu concluded, as reported by the NSA Office.” Ribadu stated upon assuming office.
The newly-appointed National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, was born in Yola, Adamawa State, on 21 November, 1960.
He attended Aliyu Mustapha Primary School, Yola from 1966 to 1973 and Yelwa Government Secondary School, Yola from 1973-1977. Between 1978 and 1980, Mr Ribadu was at the College of Preliminary Studies, CPS, Yola, for his A-level studies.
In 1980, he gained admission to study law at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, graduating in 1983. He graduated from the Nigerian Law School and was called to the bar in 1984. He joined the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) immediately after his national youth service.
Mr Ribadu holds an LLM degree with emphasis on the jurisprudence of corruption in Nigeria from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. In 2008, he was at the Harvard Business School where he did a programme on the strategic management of law enforcement agencies.
A trained lawyer and fearless crime fighter, Mr Ribadu has carved a niche for himself as someone who is patriotic, passionate, honest, courageous and compassionate.
He is the pioneer Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the government commission tasked with countering corruption and fraud which he literally transformed into one of the most effective and renowned anti-graft agencies in modern history. Yet, his major contribution to the anti-corruption crusade was his selflessness, resilience and exemplary conduct in his spirited fight against the cankerworm.
In three years, the EFCC, under his leadership, built the now most celebrated Crimes Training and Research Institute in the West African region. The agency also recorded over 200 criminal convictions under his leadership.
Ribadu was promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), in March 2007. The African Union (AU) put him on its advisory board on anti-corruption matters; and he was invited to join the advisory board of the Friends of the World Bank/UNODC initiative on Stolen Asset Recovery.
Speaking on the appointment of a non-military person as NSA, first time since 1999, a public analyst, Musa Balogun, said, ‘‘When you look around the world, National Security Advisers are not necessarily military people. The office is not a preserve for the military people. But because we have been practising it since 1999, it is felt that it must be a military person.
‘‘The battles we are fighting are largely with fellow Nigerians. We are not fighting external forces. Now, if you are not fighting external forces, that means the instruments you need for defeating terrorism in Nigeria are the police and secret service people because it is an internal warfare. The National Security Adviser (formally called Assistant to President on National Security Affairs) in the United States of America, whose presidential system the Nigerian presidential system is modelled after, coordinates defence, foreign affairs, international economic policy, and intelligence. This job description reflects the recognition that national security extends beyond military security and encompasses foreign affairs, international economic policy, diplomacy and increasingly technological policy. it also suggests that the occupier of that office is versed in a practical approach to creating, enhancing and sustaining peace in the land.’’
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