By Suleiman Umaru
More facts have eemerged why Buhari is in a fix to sack to sack Abba Kyari, his Chief of Staff or Babagana Munguno, a retired Major General and National Security Adviser, NSA. This is because of his closeness to them and the position they occupy which expose them to a lot of secrets about the Administration.
The duo are also as the master planners of the government which make it more difficult for him to sack them despite the pressure on him to do so is because of the public show of shame exhibited by them without exercising restraint on issues of national importance.
Political watchers believe that Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff, to the katsina state born Nigerian President has taken advantage of the understanding between him and the President to behave as the alternate President by arrogating too much powers to himself. Security sources told the Value News that ome members of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, and the Kitchen Cabinet in Buhari’s first term in office, and now including the kitchen Cabinet had tried to tolerate him to avoid giving the President Cause to worry.
But one person, who could no longer bear it this time around because of his Professional background as a retired Major General, was Babagana Muguno, the National Security Adviser, NSA. Munguno could not understand why Kyari, would extend his influence in the Presidency to security matters by giving orders to the Service Chiefs who report directly to him .
Munguno, who was said to have cited one of the internal memos , which the all too- powerful Buhari’s Chief of Staff, giving orders to . the Service Chiefs without the knowledge or approval of the President , The letter dated December 9, 2019, and, titled ‘’Disruption of the national security framework by unwarranted meddlesomeness’’, the NSA had said that Kyari was neither a security official nor Head of a security agency to give such orders to the Service Chiefs who report to him. He noted that such acts and continuous meddlesomeness by him was unacceptable.
An aggrieved Munguno, described in security circles, as a very refined retired Army Major General who is slow in talking believes that the president’s Chief of Staff’’ undue interference on matters of national security had drastically slowed down meaningful achievements that the government could have achieved’’ over the last four years.
The retired Army Chief , who is also supervising the Border Drills Operations , which had led to the closure of the borders with the neighbouring countries of Benin Republic, Niger and the Central African country of Cameroon, to protect the country’s maritime borders, has made clear to those that cares to listen that he has no such powers to do what he is doing because he is not a ‘’presiding Head of the country’s security , neither is he sworn to an oath of defending the country’s territorial integrity’’ .
Security watchers believe that the unholy relationship between Kyari and the Service Chiefs may have been going on for years but the later had kept sealed lip to avoid causing bad blood between the duo. Many believe that they may have been forced to let the cat out of the bag because of the mounting pressure on the President by concerned individuals and groups to sack them over their inability to contain the activities of the Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West African Provice,ISWAP, Insurgents in the north eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
This may have exposed to the no nonsense NSA, the reality of the situation on ground that he had been sidelined on issues of security matters over the Counter- Insurgency war in the north east. Perhap, to stop the mess, Munguno, was said to have sent a warning memo to Gabriel Olonisakin, a General and Chief of Defense Staff, CDS, Yusuf Tukur Buratai, a Lt. General and Chief of Army Staff, CAS, Sadiq Abubakar, an Air Marshall, and chief of Air Staff including Ibok Ete Ekwe, a Vice Admiral and Chief of Naval Staff, CNS, to stop taking orders from Kyari. This is bad news for Kyari , the Chief of Staff, who may have made the Service Chiefs to believe that their continued stay in office was at his own prompting in order to retain their loyalty .
Indeed, not many Nigerians are happy at the turn of events at the Presidential villa. Kasim Afegbua, a former spokes person of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential Campaign Council in the 1919 general elections had said that the conflict of interest between the two top functionaries of the Buhari Administration clearly shows that there is a cabal in the Presidency but the President has severally denied it , insisting that he is in control of his govern.
Afegbua, who is a close ally of former military President, Ibrahim Babangida, an Army General, rtd, alluded to the fact that the varying stance of the crisis in different parts of the country, particular, the north east and north central shows that there is no synergy among the different security agencies and segments within the Presidency, noting that ‘’it is like they are fooling Nigerians’’.
Reno Omokiri, a former Presidential Aide o ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, may have hit the nail on the head when he challenged Buhari to prove that he is in-charge of his government by sacking Kyari, described in political circles as the alternate President or Munguno, the NSA for bringing the Administration into public ridicule. He noted that if he fails to sack one or two of them at a go, would confirm the fear of people that st that there is a Cabal in the Presidency controlling him.
Also, Mustapha Jokolo, a a Major, rtd, and Buhari’ former ADC, as Head of State , between December 1,31, 983 and August 25, 1985, and now Emir of Gwandu, Kebbi state, has joined the call for the sack of Kyari and Munguno by the President , blaming them for the failures in the war against insurgency in the north east.
Reccall that Aisha Buhari, the First Lady had alluded to the overbearing influence of a Cabal in the state of Affairs in the Presidency which she did not find funny. The clash of interest between Chief of Staff to the President and the NSA had exposed the faceless Cabal operating in the Presidency.
Besides, the call for the call for the sack of either Kyari or Munguno, the NSA, there have also been pressure on the President to sack the Service Chiefs who were instrumental to the crisis by taking orders from the Chief of Staff because of his vantageposition as the last person to see the President daily without disclosing it to the NSA, until the situation became bad.
But Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the government of the Federation, SGF, may have spoken the mind of the President when he said that they will be sacked at the right time. According to him, ‘’Nigeria is in a difficult situation that requires a synergy within the Intelligence Community to address the insecurity challenge of the country.
The SGF , has made it clear that sacking the Service Chiefs for now may not be in the agenda of the Daura born politician because ‘’you don’t sack people like that because of the processes involved and which must be fulfilled’’. Mustapha, the SGF, may have taken advantage of the public presentation of a book titled: CAN, Religion and Power in Nigeria, held at the National Christian center, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, to open up on the vexed issue. He is optimistic that at the opportune time those processes if need be will addressed .
