National Security Advisor : The Ribadu argument

By Ugoji Egbujo

Whenever there are a few good alternatives, the man who has shown the capacity to resist bribes, contract scams and compulsive acquisition of wealth should get the nod.

Ribadu is a known quantity. His integrity, competence and capacity have been tested. Perhaps of all the names being bandied, none has the confidence of Nigerians and the international community like Ribadu does. But beyond acclaim, Ribadu has the requisite burning passion and drive to reorganise institutions. He is daring, methodical and inventive. He fears no foe.

Nigeria’s present security challenges are daunting. The new National Security Advisor must be a knowledgeable and innovative activist for a new secure Nigeria. There is no room for mediocrity and lukewarmness. A tried and tested hand who has transformed or built a national security, policing or diplomatic outfit will be a good fit. There isn’t time for theoreticians and office workers. It’s urgent and critical. There is a crying need for transformative change in the security architecture.

Ribadu is a known quantity. His integrity, competence and capacity have been tested. Perhaps of all the names being bandied, none has the confidence of Nigerians and the international community like Ribadu does. But beyond acclaim, Ribadu has the requisite burning passion and drive to reorganise institutions. He is daring, methodical and inventive. He fears no foe.

One of the positive landmarks of the Obasanjo regime was the establishment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Law enforcement had slackened and the nation was the heaven for advance fee fraudsters. Professionalism had succumbed to the arbitrary reign of bribery and money worship. Almost everybody could be bought. The judiciary was filled with Esaus. The country’s international reputation was in tatters. Then came Ribadu, a criminal lawyer, investigator and prosecutor.

Ribadu understands the system… Under Ribadu, the EFCC gained respect for joint operations and collaborations with the FBI, MET Police and other reputable international policing and intelligence agencies. And EFCC agents were trained in the best intelligence schools in the world. Ribadu knows the ropes and the knots.

He established a relatively meticulous process that invigorated investigation and prioritised prosecution. The cultural haphazardness of the criminal justice system was tackled to secure convictions. His passion was ruthless and the public praised his revolutionary instincts. As 419 boys ran helter-skelter for shelter and billionaires fretted in their fiefdoms, the world watched in amazement. Because the country had been deemed a bastard banana republic where rogues held sway and crime walked with the swagger of impunity, Ribadu seemed a freak. Ribadu’s EFCC defied most of the odds. It was perhaps the only eloquent evidence that we weren’t bereft of taboos and the nerve to confront fat and sinful sacred cows.

Blazing a trail in a wilderness of opportunistic politicking, brazen corruption and cowboy judiciary would come with frustrations and other costs. Ribadu and his EFCC weren’t saints. Sometimes they transgressed the law to stop criminals from running rings around the law. In criminology, it is accepted that when the street has been seized by crime, the due process ethic yields the front row to the crime control ethic. Many of the sins of the EFCC of that era were sins of passion and contamination from the environment of predatory politics. Yet, the radical altruism of Ribadu was conspicuous and that was why he received local and international accolades.

Ribadu understands the system. As chairman of the EFCC, Ribadu was a member of the Joint Intelligence Board. The JIB, domiciled in the office of the NSA, was the highest intelligence and security advisory body in the ONSA. Its membership included the intelligence agencies of the military, police and paramilitary agencies in the country. Besides the JIB, the EFCC was involved in intelligence activities in the financial sector, Niger Delta and oil institutions. Under Ribadu, the EFCC gained respect for joint operations and collaborations with the FBI, MET Police and other reputable international policing and intelligence agencies. And EFCC agents were trained in the best intelligence schools in the world. Ribadu knows the ropes and the knots.

Educated zeal is paramount, and experience and competence matter. But since corruption has crept into all facets of life in the country and eaten into the best of brains and intentions, whenever there are a few good alternatives, the man who has shown the capacity to resist bribes, contract scams and compulsive acquisition of wealth should get the nod.

Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts have suffered from a lack of imagination and innovation. The lifeline of most insurgencies is ideology and finance. But in Nigeria, analogue methods have been used in the digital era against elusive asymmetric opponents. Ribadu made the EFCC the cutting edge of criminal investigation in Nigeria. The job of the NSA requires mental acuity and analytical skills but more importantly, zeal. The NSA doesn’t do the job of a sniper or artillery soldier. He develops ideas around broader national security concerns, including health, economy, agriculture, military, intelligence, policing, environment, international relations and cybersecurity.

The idea that the National Security Advisor must be a serving or retired military general is an old wives’ tale. We borrowed the system from America. Some of the most notable NSAs the United States has produced include Henry Kissinger, Condoleezza Rice and Susan Rice, to mention a few. None of them was a military officer. They were all extremely intelligent and innovative individuals with diplomatic acumen and an exceeding passion for the security of their country. The NSA in Nigeria coordinates counter-terrorism efforts but he isn’t the Chief of Defence Staff. And his role is distinct from that of the Minister of Defence. Educated zeal is paramount, and experience and competence matter. But since corruption has crept into all facets of life in the country and eaten into the best of brains and intentions, whenever there are a few good alternatives, the man who has shown the capacity to resist bribes, contract scams and compulsive acquisition of wealth should get the nod.

Ugoji Egbujo writes from the Center for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch.