Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, Mall. Nuhu Ribadu and the single bullet of our desire

By Dr. Onibiyo Rotimi

I had the misgiving of reading the unfortunate signal as sent by Professor Bolaji Akinyemi ventilating that Mall. Nuhu Ribadu because of his background as a police officer is unfit as the National Security Adviser. But my pain exceedingly dissolves, remembering that the likes of Prof Bolaji Akinyemi got us to this present fixated stage of believing that the office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) is exclusively reserved for the people of military background. Security is a forest and should be seen as such, it goes beyond trees of armour tanks, guns, and ammunition, nay it is more about health security, community security, economic security, political security, and all that insulate man from fear, lack, and wants. It is about human security which Prof Bolaji Akinyemi’s generation could not properly situate for us, hence Nigeria still rigmarole in a state concentric security approach with an archival security architecture whose responsiveness is overcentralized around the Army Generals. Funnily, in Ghana where security and security issues are fully comprehended Customs, immigration, Prisons, and Civil Defence are well represented on the National Security Council (NSC) and not as warehoused in the Intelligence Community Committee (ICC) as seen in Nigeria. This is a starting point for Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to assist this administration with a strong security and security issues footing.

The office of the National Security Adviser known as Advisor in the United States of America could be traced back to the start of the Cold War under the National Security Act of 1947, which set out *to coordinate defense, foreign affairs, and international economic policy, while the Act did not create the position of the National Security Advisor per se, but it did create an executive secretary in charge of the staff. Interestingly, Prof Akinyemi could be reminded that the influence and role of the National Security Advisor vary from administration to administration and depends not only on the qualities of the person appointed to the position but also on the style and management philosophy of the incumbent president. No Nigerian need to be told again that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is pushing for a different narrative, a total departure from the narrative foisted on Nigerians by the generation of Prof Bolaji Akinyemi.

Amusingly, the longest-serving National Security Adviser of the USA is Henry Alfred Kissinger, an American diplomat, political theorist, accountant, geopolitical consultant, and politician who served as United States secretary of state and national security advisor for almost seven years.

I may also need Prof Zamani Andrew and Prof. Uche Uwaleke to remind Professor Akinyemi that America got her first female National Security Advisor in Mrs. Condoleezza Rice who served for four years and five days under President George Bush while Barrack Obama used the service of Mrs. Susan Rice in same capacity for three years and 203days and the present National Security Adviser under President Joe Biden is no lesser person than Jacob Jeremiah Sullivan.

All these cerebral Security Advisers are vast in international politics and this properly situated that such position was never and in never about guns and ammunition as forced down our throat as a country by the generation of Prince Bolaji Akinyemi. Possibly Professor Akinyemi is unaware that the shortest serving National Security Adviser of the United States was a top brass and counterterrorism expert; Lt. General Flynn that was caught lying to Vice President Pence.

Having set aside the ventilation of Prof Bolaji Akinyemi, the need for Mall Nuhu Ribadu to hit the ground running cannot be overemphasized.

Mr. NSA sir, before your appointment, NSA is grossly skewed in favour of the military, thus denying the nation of all the appealing tones of human security, whereby the whole landscape was militarized which also trigger violent crimes.

The Niger Delta is a case in point and the reaction from the militants has shown that the State does not have the monopoly on violence, particularly under apparent relative deprivation as foisted by bad governance, corruption and oil theft. Mall Nuhu Ribadu will your appointment, which has greatly unsettled the military be a payback scenario or it will foster the elusive synergy needed among the Military, the Police, paramilitary agencies, quasi-para forces and Nigerians?. Kindly agree that the existing unhealthy rivalries have never been in the interest of the Nigerian masses but rather for agency and personal aggrandizement. Illicit fight on the cesspool of corruption, corrupt practices, and illegal beats patronage has refused Nigeria Private security companies expression of hidden capabilities and this has ultimately denied the teeming unemployed youths of gainful employments in a virtually suppressed private security industry.

Mall Ribadu, an apparent employment vista for the unemployed teeming youths in Nigeria is the under maximized Private Security Industry due to the corrupt practices, unhealthy competition, and greed for corporate beat, and private beats by the security agencies, whose supervision now lies in your hand. These ill practices unnecessarily retard and compete against the fragile Nigeria private security industry. While not yet licensed to bear arms, arm-bearing officers are to be at the horizon providing security as public goods while private security practitioners are to be at virtually all these beats. It will not be new to you sir, that all administrative charges for all these unwholesome practices are never paid into the public coffers but rather unto individual. In developed climes, the private security industry (PSI) drives employment but not in Nigeria. The need for Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to firm up regulation and monitoring of this all important sector cannot be overstated and for the military, police, NSCDC and others to recuse themselves from private and corporate beats operations. The PSI when properly administered should bear light weapons, should have badges that they treasure to protect and it could also serve as part time job ground for public security personnel.

There is no gainsaying that the narratives behind the ever increasing military expenditures in Nigeria could also be extensively ploughed back into infrastructures through good governance. Crimes will nosedive where good governance is activated as the basics of lives are what Nigerians simply demand. The promotion of human security during your tenure will go a long way to deliver this and Nigerians will not forget such in a hurry. Dear Mallam Ribadu, your tenure should push for President Tinubu administration to invest more in Human security in order to change the narratives from countless of Operation Crocodile Smile, Python Dance, Whirlstroke, Lafiya Dole and many more. There is no way the above could be achieved without reconstituting the National Security Council. Security is a tree of forests and all security agencies and beyond should be involved in it to see the bigger pictures, technocrats and the academia are to be given space of expression and this is what Nigerians await to see you driving at while in Office as the NSA.

Nigeria’s National Security Council (NSC) typifies the security Architecture of the nation, of which the present composition must be revisited to accommodate a broader picture beyond guns and ammunition, as security has gone beyond state territorial protection and the new world order is about human security. The composition of Ghana Security Council could be a pointer. Ironically, Nigeria is the only country in the world whose agency; Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); regulating the nation’s Critical National Assets and Infrastructure (CNAI) and yet the regulator is not on the National Security Council and same goes for other agency; Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS) regulating immigration, agency regulating Correctional facilities and borders as seen in Nigeria Correctional Services (NCoS) and Custom Services are absented from the National Security Councils but could accommodate the Generals with State centric tones.

That is a great disservice for the well being of average Nigerians that are vulnerable to fear, wants and lacks which is exactly what security stands for.

Awesomely, Mall Nuhu, it was Lt Gen. Dambazzau that once suggested a single entry point for all the Paramilitary and police officers and this should be broadened to capture all including the military (Navy, Army, Airforce). Kindly agree that such single entry for a basic 6months training will afford all participants even before their posting to adjudge among themselves who has excelled more in Naval activities, FSC related activities, Drug and Narcotics exercises, Civil related and CNAI protection activities, and Police duties.

This approach will greatly reduce parental influence into Security Agency/service where such parents are working and this will greatly promote transparency. Be assured that days of meritocracy will resurface and not just going to NDAs because you are a relation to a General or because a Commissioner of Police front for you to come into Cadetship. Such 6months basic training will bond up the trainees, inject elements of security sector governance, amplify synergy and extensive collaboration. At every advancement stage, the NSA could bring such people together for joint training and advancement courses even before their agencies’ specialized training.

Grippingly, collaboration and synergy cannot be achieved in the absence of the establishment of Fusion Centre across the nation as against the present joke and waste of resources of fusion centre solely and separately for counterterrorism, kidnapping separately amongst others. A fusion centre will afford all crimes to be localized in each of the community/state/areas. It is a way down the line from the strategic level unto both tactical and operational level.

Agencies that brainstorm together, are bound to effectively deployed and engaged all their assets to protect national interests and this is achievable if your office can evolve, nuture and sustain a Fusion Centre that could generate feedbacks into your office. Mall Ribadu, it may shock you to know that your office should be a beehive of brainstorming session that amply generate feedbacks to all the security agencies with trackable Key Performance Indicators.

Be assured that none of these could be concretely assessed as majority of agencies representatives that are warehoused in the Office of the National Security Advisers are extensively disconnected from their primary place of assignment. This should not only stop but should be seen revisited for value for tax payers’ money.

Finally, your tenure should ensure that for every single bullet pointed at and fired at any security officers, paid by the State treasure, such bullet does not differentiate between hitting the Police, the military and the paramilitary forces. When security agencies are sent on joint operations, Mr Ribadu, be reminded that they are not paid the same and this extensively dwindle the sense of belongingness.

Permit me to remind you that the reluctance of the Military to recognize parallel ranking of other organization is one albatross that your office need to look into. This also then validates earlier submission of single entry training. The Military need to come to same footings that they do not have a better blood than all other officers outside there in the cold fighting terrorism and internal security management.

When all agencies are coalesced into a lecture room or theatre operations there is no empirical evidence of military outperforming others or vice versa hence it is one of your responsibility to ensure that both bullets and monetary alerts do not differentiate between officers.

Dr Onibiyo Rotimi of temiowa@nsuk.edu.ng writes from Nasarawa State University Keffi