Forum Urges Tinubu to Oppose Proposed Change of NSA Office to Agency
From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse
The Non-State Actors Consultative Forum (NOSACOF), a non-governmental organization, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reject an alleged move within his government aimed at transforming the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) into an agency.
In an open letter addressed to President Tinubu and signed by the national convener of NOSACOF, Comrade Abdulrazaq Alqali, the organization raised concerns about certain individuals and politicians attempting to push for structural and constitutional changes in government institutions for personal and political gains.
“The purported effort by some members of your government to initiate a bill altering the establishment of the NSA’s office, granting the NSA authority to recruit and form its own staff similar to existing government agencies, is ill-advised and could set a dangerous precedent.
“Implementing such a bill would require a significant overhaul of the NSA’s infrastructure to align with constitutional provisions, or the constitution itself would need amending to accommodate the bill.
“Furthermore, transforming the NSA’s office into an agency with extensive powers over existing intelligence agencies like the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Department of State Service (DSS), and the Military could lead to functional overlaps, fostering disunity, rivalry, and a lack of synergy among these security entities,” the letter stated.
NOSACOF emphasized the NSA’s pivotal role in fostering cooperation among security agencies, highlighting that its success stems from collaboration with various security bodies, avoiding a perception of rivalry.
The forum underscored the usual practice of the NSA acquiring trained and experienced staff from security agencies, enhancing national security functions.
“Hence, restructuring the NSA into an agency with independent staff recruitment would likely hamper its efficiency, especially given the current security and financial challenges in the country.
“Finally, Mr. President, the NSA’s office is known for its highly professional and skilled staff, selected based on merit, skills, and capacity, a practice that should be preserved,” the letter concluded.
