- Security Analysts Weigh In, Say Call For Monguno’s Sack Misplaced
Northern Elders have called for the repositioning of Nigeria’s security architecture to stem the spate of bandit’s attack, terrorism and other forms of criminality in the country.
Recall the Tuesday’s attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) by armed bandits led to death of two officers on the spot, while the attackers made away with an Army Major said to have now been killed.
In their reaction, the Elders called for the review of the security architecture of the nation to urgently address the challenge of insecurity bedeviling Nigeria.
The Coalition of Northern Elders for Peace and Development (CNEPD), in the statement by its national coordinator, Engr. Zana Goni, said it is important that the president heeds the call for the repositioning of the national security architecture on time.
“It is important that the NSA be replaced and the security architecture of the nation reviewed so that the process of injecting fresh blood can be completed.
“We believe that the service chiefs need a clean slate to succeed as to avoid being tied to the springs of the past fatal failures. This call is both patriotic and totally apolitical as expected from a responsible group of elders in our dear region
“It would be to the highest interests of Nigeria for the president to heed this call and act on it immediately.”
The statement also accused stakeholders in the region of being silent in the face of unbearable criminal acts by armed herdsmen and insecurity across the country.
Though the northern elders asked the President to sack the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (Rtd) due to the security breach at the NDA and the overall state of security in the country, checks by The New Diplomat revealed that the call flies against proper understanding of the constitutional roles of the office of the National Security Adviser in the country. Further checks showed that the NSA can only advise the President and Military Service Chiefs on the nation’s security as the office of the NSA lacks power to on its own implement security policies and action plans of the government.
The Northern elders while making the call through their statement had said: “we have found it very important to call on President Buhari to remove the National Security Adviser, Major-General Babagana Monguno (retd), whose office and responsibilities are critical to the achievement of comprehensive security all over the country but hasn’t used the high esteem of his office in any productive ways since his appointment as NSA.
“The reason for this call is not farfetched. We believe that Major-Gen Monguno was part of the gross failure associated with the tenure of the former security chiefs and his continued presence in office will make the success Buhari intended to achieve with the changes very difficult, if not completely impossible.”
However, faulting the call for Monguno’s sack, security analysts said the influence and role of the National Security Adviser varies from administration to administration, adding that it depends not only on the qualities of the person appointed to the position, but also on the style and management philosophy of the incumbent president.
A senior security expert who spoke with The New Diplomat on condition of anonymity explained that Nigeria as a country which had patterned its presidential system of government after the United States, also introduced certain standard practices in the U.S security framework to its national security set-up. He continued: “In the U.S, the National Security Adviser serves as an honest broker of policy options for the president in the field of national security, rather than as an advocate for his or her own policy agenda. This is also the practice in Nigeria”
He stressed that the National Security Adviser is only able to offer independent advice to the president, in this case President Buhari, however, “he does not control troops neither can the occupier of the office operate in the theatre operations to directly implement government’s action plans on security, so putting any blame on Monguno might be a misplaced judgment.”
