The appointment of a Security Adviser to the President and a National Security Adviser (NSA) is bound to generate a rift due to the similarity of responsibilities, according to former Director, Department of State Security (DSS), Mike Ejiofor.
“But for me as a person, I believe very strongly that if you have a Special Adviser on Security and you have another office of National Security Adviser, there is bound to be conflict in their functions and discharge of their responsibilities,” Ejiofor said on Channels Television Sunrise Daily on Friday.
The President of the National Institute for Security Studies expressed fears over the possible two appointments, highlighting a possible supremacy battle in tackling internal security in the country.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ended the week-long speculations over appointments. He on Thursday, unveiled the appointment of eight special advisers.
Nuhu Ribadu, a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was appointed to play in his government as Security Adviser, according to a statement signed by Abiodun Oladunjoye, the State House Director of Information.
This stirred up more controversy as many are in doubt of his actual role, considering that the president has yet to appoint a National Security Adviser, NSA.
Ejiofor added, “It is a constitutional right to appoint a Security Adviser, of course, his duty is to coordinate all the agencies so, he must look very deeply in appointing the National Security adviser,
“But if he decides to use the Security Adviser as the NSA, it is his prerogative as long as results are achieved,” he said.
According to Ejiofor, the Presidency still needs to make clarifications on the appointment of Ribadu in order to prevent conflict in the nation’s security apparatus.
“We are all discussing in the realm of speculation, until the president comes out clearly on what he tends to achieve, we will not be categorical in making any statement”
‘We don’t know how the president intends to harmonize the two functions, except if they are given specific functions or the office of the NSA is scrapped,” he said.
Ejiofor commended the president for his move on fostering synergy amongst the security agencies but said, “He may have been observing some lapses in lack of synergy and that is why he has been hammering on it. This introduction is going to bring more problems than synergy.”
The former DSS Director lamented the duty report process of all security agencies after carrying out their duties.
“Who takes precedence, the security agencies, who would they report to? Do they report to the office of the NSA as constitutionally guaranteed, or would they report to the special adviser?”.
But metrobusinessnews (MBN) gathered that the appointment may out the president in dilemma as the law dies not empower him to scrap the office of NSA that has legislative backing in creation.
“Let’s wait and see designation of roles by the president,” says security expert, who pleaded for anonymity.