Afrigather 
By Yushau A. Shuaib
Names are being dropped, principally in safety and media circles, on the individual prone to turn into appointed as Nigeria’s subsequent Nationwide Safety Adviser (NSA) by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The present holder and longest-serving NSA in Nigeria, Babagana Monguno is a retired Navy Normal.
Other than the previous Chief of Military Workers and Minister of Inside, Main Normal Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd.) and retired police chief and pioneer Chairman of the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, different serving safety, in addition to intelligence, chiefs are being touted as attainable candidates for this essential place.
A serious bone of rivalry has the talk on whether or not the Workplace of the Nationwide Safety Adviser (ONSA) is one basically reserved for these with a navy background and individuals who’re preferable within the rank of a Normal within the nation’s armed forces, whether or not nonetheless serving or retired.
Whereas many of the former and present holders of the place of NSA have been retired Military officers, nationwide safety points are past the unique ken of the navy, whose fundamental job and mandate is defence of the territorial integrity of the state and its pursuits in opposition to exterior armed threats or aggression.
In response to the challenges of terrorism as confronted by Nigeria, the Terrorism Prevention Act 2011, as amended in 2013, was signed into legislation by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
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The Act designates the Workplace of the Nationwide Safety Adviser (ONSA) because the coordinating physique for all the safety and enforcement businesses of the federal government. This Act additionally provides the ONSA the mandates to “assist and make sure the formulation and implementation of a complete Counter Terrorism Technique and construct capability for the efficient discharge of the features of related safety, intelligence, legislation enforcement and navy companies.”
The next yr, exactly on 18 March, 2014, the then Nationwide Safety Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd.) rolled-out Nigeria’s tender method to countering terrorism by the Nationwide Counter Terrorism Technique (NACTEST), developed by the live performance and assist of worldwide companions, skilled lecturers and choose non-state actors.
The NACTEST, in line with Dasuki who was its facilitator and enabler, sought to behave proactively by stopping violent assaults earlier than they occurred, whereas equally anticipating and neutralising the components that lead folks to turning into terrorists within the first place.
The tender method to countering violent extremism (CVE) contains a vertical programme involving the three tiers of presidency – from the federal to the state after which native – alongside a horizontal programme that engages with the civil society, lecturers, and conventional, spiritual and group leaders, in the direction of stemming the tide of radicalism.
The tender method to countering terrorism, as recognized by the Dasuki-led ONSA, supplied Nigeria with a framework outlining the roles and obligations of each section of the society with regard to job creation, poverty alleviation and financial improvement.
In a nutshell, the Workplace of the Nationwide Safety Adviser pulls collectively and encompasses totally different main skilled capabilities, together with these of the navy, legislation enforcement, intelligence companies, worldwide relations, monetary controls, along with bilateral and multilateral engagements.
In its position of providing advisories to the president, the ONSA considers what may very well be the suitable method to coping with terrorism and different safety threats, which is both exhausting or tender powers. Whereas the exhausting energy often entails a really bodily method of coping with points, which entails the risk or use of navy pressure, the tender energy is one which responds to issues by the utilisation of financial and cultural affect in persuading others from unfavourable inclinations like unbecoming acts. That is the antithesis of the usage of pressure in attaining a, probably, extra sustainable and healthful consequence.
It’s essential to level out that there are all kinds of safety challenges embedded inside the notion of “nationwide safety.” These embody financial safety, power safety, cybersecurity, environmental safety, well being safety and meals safety, which all search to neutralise totally different threats and deleterious conditions.
In his e-book Nationwide Safety Methods, Mukhtar Yau Madobi, a first-class graduate and defence researcher, states that, “nationwide safety doesn’t solely entail the safety of lives and properties of individuals but in addition goes in a wider dimension. It consists of safety in training, transportation, well being, financial system, infrastructure, atmosphere, meals and agriculture, politics, faith, tradition, society amongst others.”
It’s subsequently not stunning that in america of America, the place Nigeria adopted its model presidential system from, they consider in non-military concepts of nationwide safety, which is clear within the calibre of individuals appointed as Nationwide Safety Advisors. These are critical professionals from throughout the spectrum of educational, analysis and intelligence work and many others., with stable and crosscutting information bases on nationwide safety points.
Within the US, the appointment of individuals with navy backgrounds to the workplace of the Nationwide Safety Advisor is often the exception somewhat than the norm. Navy individuals who’ve functioned within the place of the NSA included Normal Collin Powell beneath President Ronald Reagan; Brent Scowcroft beneath President Gerald Ford and later President Bush (Snr); and James Jones, who served for a yr within the first time period of President Barack Obama.
Lots of the appointed NSAs within the US have had no navy background, whereas being effectively versed in nationwide safety issues. Whereas a few of them have been diplomats with intelligence backgrounds, others have been authorized practitioners and lecturers, and many others. A few of these NSAs have included George McBundy beneath President Kennedy; Walter Rostow beneath President Johnson; Henry Kissinger beneath President Nixon; Zbigniew Brzezinski beneath President Carter; Condoleezza Rice beneath President Bush (Jnr); Susan Rice beneath President Obama; Robert Charles O’Brien (Jnr) beneath President Donald Trump; and Jacob Jeremiah Sullivan beneath present President Joe Biden.
The NSA just isn’t like another political appointment that may very well be carried out to fulfill political patronage, because the officer to be so assigned is anticipated to be well-informed and intensely educated sufficient to offer critical and spot-on advisories, whereas successfully coordinating safety issues of state, diplomatic efforts, being in tune with financial coverage, and the intelligence companies, in the direction of a peaceable and affluent nation that’s totally engaged in a holistic sense of nationwide safety.
Whereas the workplaces of the Chief of Defence Workers and Minister of Defence are already reserved for serving and retired navy officers respectively, but there may be nothing flawed if any of the personalities historically appointed into the foregoing positions are equally thought-about for the ONSA.
Nevertheless and importantly too, President Ahmed Tinubu mustn’t solely replicate the federal character precept when appointing people to delicate posts like that of the Nationwide Safety Adviser, however he must also saliently take into account the pedigree, braveness, accomplishments, sincerity, and inclinations of the individual to be so appointed. Such an individual can even improve harmonious inter-agency collaboration somewhat than the occasional rivalry witnessed within the current previous.
Yushau A. Shuiab
Writer “An Encounter with the Spymaster and Disaster Communication Strategieswww.YAShuaib.com
