SaharaReporters has learned that President Bola Tinubu faced pressure from influential military officers, which led to the decision of not appointing Nuhu Ribadu, the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as the National Security Adviser (NSA). The military officers insisted that they could not work with someone they considered their “junior” and objected to Ribadu’s appointment due to his lack of a military background.
President Tinubu proceeded to appoint other individuals to various advisory roles, including Dele Alake as Special Adviser for Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy, Yau Darazo as Special Adviser for Political and Intergovernmental Affairs, Wale Edun as Special Adviser for Monetary Policies, and Olu Verheijen as Special Adviser for Energy. The list of appointees also included Zachaeus Adedeji as Special Adviser for Revenue, John Ugochukwu Uwajumogu as Special Adviser for Industry, Trade, and Investment, and Dr. Salma Ibrahim Anas as Special Adviser for Health.
According to a reliable source in the presidency, Ribadu had already been nominated for the position of NSA, but the powerful military officers objected to working with him and emphasized their preference for a former Army General. President Tinubu acquiesced to their demands, although there is a possibility of Ribadu being elevated to a different position in the future.
Nuhu Ribadu, aged 62 and from Yola, Adamawa State, is a retired police commissioner and the pioneering Chairman of Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the EFCC. He also served as Chairman of the Petroleum Revenue Task Force. While he was appointed as EFCC chairman in 2003 and reappointed in 2007, his subsequent promotion to Assistant Inspector General of Police was challenged and deemed unlawful. Ribadu’s career saw further challenges, including his temporary removal as EFCC chairman in December 2007 and subsequent demotion from Assistant Inspector-General of Police to Deputy Commissioner of Police in August 2008.
Ribadu ventured into politics in 2010, running for President of Nigeria under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in which Tinubu played a significant role. However, he was unsuccessful in the election. In 2014, Ribadu defected to the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with the intention of contesting for the governorship of Adamawa State but was ultimately unsuccessful.
