Security chiefs: The more they look, the less they see

Olalekan Adetayo
| credits: File copy

Part of the features of the Presidential Villa, Abuja are the security chiefs moving in convoy and arriving for routine meetings with President Goodluck Jonathan.

The heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, National Intelligence Agency and State Security Service are driven straight into the forecourt of the President’s office with their respective flags flying on their official cars. They are always joined by the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki; relevant ministers such as the Minister of State, Defence, Olusola Obada; and the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, among others.

They will walk briskly into the office of the President in their heavily-starched uniforms adorned with several medals and their well-tailored suits, as the case may be, as if that meeting will be the last straw that will break the back of members of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, that have held parts of the country hostage for long. Some of them will even ignore compliments from their subordinates stationed strategically inside the Villa, as if answering such greetings will complicate the security challenges in the country.

During such meetings, they will tell the President that they are winning the war against terrorism in the country. How do I get to know that? Whenever you hear Jonathan saying that his administration is winning the war, you can deduce that that is the report he received from his security chiefs. He relied so much on such reports that he told the United Nations’ Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia recently that he might call off the emergency rule in three states before the end of the six months recommended by the Constitution, judging by the success being recorded by security operatives.

When these security chiefs emerge from the President’s office after hours of meeting, they will look at journalists who approach them for comments with disdain. They will rush into their waiting cars with their aides slamming the door shut. Some more friendly ones will manage to utter “No comment.” Some others will treat the journalists like children: Security Chief A will ask us to meet Security Chief B for comment while Security Chief B will direct us to Security Chief C. We will then look stupid as they drive out of the premises the same way they came.

Headlines such as “Jonathan, security chiefs meet” or “Jonathan summons NSA, others over insecurity” will dominate newspapers the following day. And what happens? In most cases, before these security chiefs would reach their offices, one bomb blast would have been recorded in another place, making nonsense of such meetings. Whenever I hear of fresh blasts with scores killed anywhere, I wonder what the routine security meetings have been able to achieve.

When the former NSA, late Gen. Patrick Azazi, was sacked, one thought the President took the decision in order to bring on board the man with the magic wand to end insurgency. But rather than abate, the challenge seems to be getting more intense daily in a manner that will make Azazi to say in his grave, “I thought they said I was not doing well?”

 Apart from security meetings, senior citizens who are members of the Kabiru Turaki-led Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North also meet regularly inside the Banquet Hall of the Villa, without any sign of their intervention.

One thing is sure, very few people will blame the security chiefs or the committee that has come to be known as amnesty or Boko Haram committee for poor performance as far as insecurity is concerned. All fingers will point at President Goodluck Jonathan. After all, he is the current captain of the nation’s ship. Is it not better then that he put more fire under his security chiefs to perform?

Condolence visits galore

President Jonathan’s workload keeps increasing daily. The latest addition to his assignment is the responsibility of receiving mourners who have been visiting the Villa to commiserate with him and his wife over the recent death of the First Lady’s foster mother, Mrs. Charity Oba, fondly called Mama Sisi.

 Different groups have paid condolence visits to the first family since Mrs. Jonathan returned from her trip to Geneva. Delegations from Abia, Kwara, Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta states have been received. Vice President Namadi Sambo has led members of the Federal Executive Council on condolence visit to the President. Officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission and the Nigerian Customs Service have also visited.

 For every delegation the President receives, he must respond to the words of consolation as presented by the leader of such group. This can be stressful because as one group leaves, another enters. So tedious has the job been that a colleague suggests, though jokingly, that set of the President’s response be recorded and played to each visitors as they come. This, he believes, will save the President the stress of repeating himself every time he receives another group.

Where is mama’s spokesman, Osinlu?

The spokesman of Mrs. Patience Jonathan, Mr. Ayo Osinlu, may have left the system quietly. It all started when the President’s wife was on a foreign trip to Geneva. That was when the auto crash in which her foster mother died occured. Surprisingly, Osinlu did not travel with her.

Also, Osinlu did not pick the calls of journalists who wanted to confirm the death of his boss’ foster mother when the news of the auto crash broke. I was one of those whose calls he did not pick.

Later, a text message emanated from him, asking journalists to contact a woman on a telephone line he provided for the much-sought after reaction. Since mama returned to the country, Osinlu has not been sighted anywhere near the Villa. All the statements so far issued by the Office of the First Lady on the various condolence visits were signed by one Mrs. O.A Adesugba. All efforts to get Osinlu on telephone had not yielded any result as he refused to pick his calls.

 Although there is no formal confirmation so far, I learnt that the erstwhile spokesman had left the Villa for good. I wish him all the best in his future endeavours as politicians will say and I also hope he will return my unanswered calls after reading this piece.

Source: Punch.com