Ribadu, Wrong Choice For Position Of NSA – Bolaji Akinyemi
State Correspondent
LAGOS – As the retirement and appointment of new Service Chiefs continue to generate public interest, Dr Bolaji Akinyemi, the Convener of the Apostolic Round Table (ART), has picked holes on the appointment of Nuhu Ribadu, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), as the National Security Adviser (NSA) by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Speaking to Sunday Independent in Lagos, Dr Akinyemi, a social activist and Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Project Victory Call Initiative (PVC-Naija), maintained that Ribadu will face challenges in his new position as the Service Chiefs may not consider him fit for the position.
Akinyemi stressed that Ribadu’s role as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is well known.. According to him, “The new National Security Adviser (NSA) is not fit for the job. Nuhu Ribadu is known for what he did as the chairman of EFCC and is a former policeman.
“The Office of the NSA coordinates the security thrust for the country. In a way, this job is more important and hands-on than that of the Minister of Defence. “It therefore means that someone from Intelligence or with a background in the military has this job.”
Akinyemi maintained that the level of insecurity in the country, like terrorism, kidnapping, brazen banditry, pipeline breaching, etc, require someone with a skill set that Ribadu might not possess.
According to him, “We know the perception the defence/ intelligence/ security community have of the Police Force.
Even Civil Defence raise shoulders for them. “Sometime in 2019 or so, an individual was killed by a personnel of the Customs at a border in Ogun State and the police did not investigate the matter because the spokesperson for the Customs put out a communiqué that they were looking into the matter.
“We also recall what happened when some police officers who captured a notorious kidnapper, were killed by some soldiers at a checkpoint. Nothing came out of it. “In 2020 Tolulope Arotile, the combat helicopter pilot, was killed in a ‘freak accident’.
The suspect after interrogation was supposedly handed over to the police. This ‘suspect’ has not been arraigned till date. “In the light of the above, how can an ex-policeman summon and receive briefings from the Security Chiefs and Heads of DSS and NIA? “It is not as though Ribadu even made the rank of IG of Police. Let me not go into how Ribadu is supposed to have said BAT is one of the most compromised governors during his stint as EFCC chairman.”
(Independent Ng)
