The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, assured President Bola Tinubu and the entire country on Monday that security agencies will accomplish the objective of securing the country as well as re-establish peace and stability.
Ribadu was responding to the President’s charge that they should work as a team to carry out their mandate of dealing with the country’s protracted security challenges.
His charge came against the backdrop of an insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes that have threatened the country’s corporate existence.
The NSA, Mallam Ribadu, told State House correspondents after the President’s first meeting with the security chiefs at the Presidential Villa in Abuja: “The President directed them to work as a team and deliver on their mandate.”
In response to the meeting’s outcome, he stated, “We are here to thank Mr. President for the opportunity he gave us to serve our country and his own government.” We also pledged our allegiance to him, Nigeria, and Nigerians.
“We believe the choice he made is the right one, the correct one, and we know what he wants for this country.
‘’We’re going to work tirelessly to ensure we accomplish that objective of securing our country, establishing peace and stability, and getting our lives back.
” He assured us that he is completely behind us. He told us we needed to work as a team and that there was work to be done; he expects us to deliver, and we appreciate the opportunity. That’s why we are here.”
When asked what would be the starting point for the new security heads, Ribadu said: “Where we are today, as you can see already, things are improving in our country.
“If you see the record of crimes and activities of criminals going down, it will continue to go down. We’ll secure this place.
“Nigerians have seen the quality of the people that are given the opportunity, they are probably some of the best we have, and they are not going to fail you, they’ll certainly deliver. Thank you very much.”
Other attendees included the Chief of Defence Staff, Major-General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear-Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Hassan Abubakar, and the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Remember that during Tinubu’s meeting with the immediate past service chiefs, he warned them against working against each other if the war against insecurity was to be won.
He had insisted that the security chiefs must work together to avoid mistakes of the past where there was inter-agency rivalry, which gave insurgents, bandits, and kidnappers the room to fester and threaten the country’s corporate existence.
