“The first duty of a man is to think for himself.” These immortal words of José Martí, the late Cuban journalist, poet and philosopher have become even more relevant in Nigeria today, 123 clear years after the demise of the celebrated wordsmith. In our country, not a few folks have become so obviously blinded and befuddled by sheer political partisanship that they allow others to do this basic chore -thinking – on their behalf. And once such thoughts are vocalised, they become the creed of the pathetically undiscerning!
On January 10 this year, President Muhammadu Buhari announced the appointment of his then Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, as the substantive Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). Ambassador Abubakar replaced Ambassador Ayo Oke who had been removed following the discovery of huge, unexplained sums of money allegedly belonging to the organisation in a private apartment in Ikoyi, Lagos.
But shortly after Mr. Abubakar’s appointment, the rumour mill went into overdrive. Assorted insinuations and palpably ridiculous allegations denigrating the personality of the new appointee began to roll out of the camps of habitual bashers of the president. Such downright falsehoods and beer parlour gossip on the NIA DG and President Buhari soon became a trending topic on social and online media. Some respected traditional media even latched on to the rumours and, without subjecting those allegations to the rigours of intellectual scrutiny, curiously turned them into screaming headlines on their front pages.
According to the camp of Buhari-haters, Mr. Abubakar was undeserving of the post because, in their words, the NIA boss had twice failed promotion examinations while serving at the NIA and had been forced to retire as an Assistant Director. Some claimed he was born and raised in Chad and holds dual nationality. And although they have absolutely not a shred of evidence, they also asserted that Abubakar is married to a Moroccan and as such should not hold such a sensitive position.
Last Sunday, the presidency responded to the rumours by publishing the truth about Mr. Abubakar in a statement by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina. Indeed, it has now been established that Abubakar actually retired from Foreign Service as Deputy Director and not as Assistant Director as the naysayers had falsely asserted. Laughable insinuations that Buhari appointed a Chadian citizen whose wife is a Moroccan have also been punctured. While it is indeed true that Mr. Abubakar’s parents had lived in Ndjamena at a point and he had his primary education in that country, it was established that he returned to Nigeria for his post-primary and university education. And he has, since graduation from Bayero University, Kano in 1984, served Nigeria in various capacities.
The familiar singsong of the perennial persecutors of the president is that Buhari’s appointment of Mr. Abubakar was a celebration of ineptitude. They would have us believe that the man hoisted to the top position of our country’s intelligence agency was forced to retire owing to his failure at promotion examinations. Yet a mere perfunctory check would have revealed the real intentions of the peddlers of these falsehoods and deflated their disingenuous venture.
Leafing through the pages of fraudulent articles employed to denigrate Abubakar, one would think Buhari had taken a trip to a village in Chad Republic and pulled out a novice totally alien to the intelligence world to manage Nigeria’s elite intelligence agency. Yet, available data easily bursts that lie!
Following his family’s sojourn in Chad, Abubakar returned to his home state of Katsina for his post-primary education and soon obtained a Grade II Certificate from the Arabic teachers’ College in Katsina. He later attended the Bayero University Kano where he obtained a B.A in French Language and Literature, and an M.A in Francophone Maghrebian Literature. He was graduate assistant and assistant lecturer with the Bayero University, Kano before taking up an appointment with Katsina State Goverment.
Between 1993 and 2005, Abubakar was a Foreign Service Officer, serving the country meritoriously within and outside the country at various times. Working for the Nigerian government, African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) missions in several top capacities, Abubakar represented the country meritoriously in Addis Ababa, Morocco, Darfur, Quatar, Sudan, Dakar, and others. He was for years the head of Chancery at the Nigeria Embassy in Morocco.
A polyglot, Mr. Abubakar reads, writes, speaks and understands English, French, Arabic and Hausa languages fluently. Since he was appointed Senior Special Assistant to the President in 2015, he has worked closely with Buhari. Part of his responsibilities was providing technical support to President Buhari on issues relating to foreign policies and affairs, and international relations. He sat at all important bilateral meetings between President Buhari and foreign leaders abroad and at home. He was also the president’s interpreter in French and Arabic whenever officials of French and Arabic nations came visiting.
So, in what way did the president err to have appointed this experienced and multi-talented ambassador as Director-General of NIA? Absolutely none! This is a man with vast experience and understanding of the workings of the president and his presidency. Besides being a well-lettered and credible specialist in foreign affairs and international relations, here is one man that fully comprehends and believes in the change mantra of the present administration. Besides, Ambassador Abubakar enjoys the confidence of President Buhari. And if his principal, in exercise of the president’s constitutional powers, saw in him a man to whose hands the nation could entrust such a critical agency, why should Nigerians listen to the deceitful ululations from the camp of perpetual pessimists and dissenters?
Claiming that Ambassador Abubakar retired or was forced out of service as an assistant director is pure exhibition of ignorance. But even if one were to agree, without conceding, that Abubakar actually retired as assistant director, the peddlers of such tale were also not smart enough. Although the NIA boss left service as a deputy director, serving or retired officers with lower ranks have been heads of sensitive agencies and security organisations in this country. Was it not in this country that the late General Owoye Azazi was succeeded as National Security Adviser by Lieutenant Colonel Sambo Dasuki, a far junior officer?
It’s even quite intriguing that those opposed to Buhari’s choice of Mr. Abubakar are seemingly apathetic towards the NIA director-general’s expertise, technical exposure and competence in the areas of international affairs, diplomatic practice, peace support operations and mediation across several countries in different continents. They couldn’t be bothered even if the man is a polyglot. Indeed, Ambassador Abubakar’s stint as a key adviser to the President on critical foreign matters during which he sat at all the president’s meetings with foreign leaders naturally informs that the NIA boss has handled a far more sensitive responsibility than many can imagine. Not many jobs can be as sensitive as being a presidential adviser with the privilege of having the President’s ear on sensitive foreign policy and international affair.
It is never a sin to be ambitious. It is also understandable that those who might been eyeing the position of the agency’s top boss would feel envious of Abubakar’s elevation. Such is natural. But launching a copious campaign of propaganda and patent falsehood to denigrate both the appointee and his appointer and thereby casting considerable doubts on the integrity of the NIA is hardly the way to go. More so, it is a given that anyone seeking employment with a critical intelligence organisation like the NIA would have been subjected to thorough investigation by the authorities. How a foreign national with a foreign wife escaped such labyrinthine scrutiny under successive administrations from 1993 till date must be the eighth wonder of the world!
From every imaginable consideration, President Buhari did not err in appointing Ahmed Rufai Abubakar as the director-general of the National Intelligence Agency. The cynics should eschew unprofitable partisan sentimentalism and hope the new NIA boss does make a success of the assignment.
Ade-Adio, a public affairs analyst, writes from Akure.
