In the hallowed chambers of Aso Rock, where the air is thin and the reality of the Nigerian street is often filtered through tinted glass, a troubling scene recently unfolded. During a visit by high-level stakeholders, including the venerable Archbishop Emeritus John Onaiyekan, a jarring disconnect was laid bare.
As the delegation raised the alarm over the bloodletting and insecurity ravaging the land, National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu reportedly interjected with a glowing appraisal of progress and safety. The Archbishop’s response was as stinging as it was succinct: “Is there another country inside Nigeria?”
*The Art of the Face-Save*
When the National Security Adviser chooses to placate the President with tales of bliss while the highways remain gauntlets of kidnapping and the farms remain killing fields, he isn’t just being optimistic—he is being dangerous.
Leaders are best served by the cold, hard truth, not by the warm, fuzzy blanket of self-denying propaganda.
Ribadu’s current posture suggests a studied manual in deceit. To claim that insecurity has been stamped out in a week where villages are raided and travelers disappear is to inhabit a reality that 200 million Nigerians do not recognize.
This face-saving counsel to President Tinubu creates a bubble that prevents the Commander-in-Chief from taking the radical, corrective actions necessary to stop the river of blood flowing from North to South.
*A Question of Pedigree and Strategy*
The criticism of Ribadu extends beyond his rhetoric to his professional standing. In the complex, high-tech world of modern warfare and cybernetic security, the NSA’s background as a retired police officer—rather than a strategist from the elite echelons of military intelligence—is under intense scrutiny.
There is a growing sentiment that the policing lens is insufficient for the asymmetrical warfare currently being waged by non-state actors. Furthermore, the optics of his ethnic background in relation to the primary perpetrators of rural terror create a perceived conflict of interest that he has failed to navigate with a proven security strategy. Instead of a master plan, the public sees a lack of technical depth and a reliance on outdated methods.
*The Duality of the NSA*
Perhaps the most damning evidence of this double standard is the contrast between Ribadu’s internal posturing and his external pleading. While telling the President and the Nigerian public that the terrorists are defeated, he has been seen on record in tears soliciting foreign diplomats for urgent intervention to rescue Nigeria’s security architecture.
This duality—claiming victory at home while begging for help abroad—is the height of dublicity. It suggests that the administration knows exactly how dire the situation is, but prefers to manage the perception of the crisis rather than the crisis itself.
*The Case for Accountability*
The role of the NSA is to provide the President with an unvarnished assessment of the nation’s threats. When that official becomes a cheerleader rather than a watchman, the office loses its essence.
If Nuhu Ribadu cannot bridge the gap between his reports and the Archbishop’s reality, then the calls for his replacement are not just political noise—they are a matter of national survival. Nigeria cannot be secured by leaders who are far removed from the scent of gunpowder and the cries of the bereaved. To save the country, the President must first burst the bubble of lies being blown from within his own cabinet.
”A leader who is told only what he wants to hear is a leader headed for a fall; a nation whose security chief denies the existence of the enemy is a nation already under siege.
_Dr. Drama, PhD Counterterrorism contributed this piece via: Nigeriandrama@gmail.com_
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