zi (rtd)
• North moves to back Sambo Dasuki
•Gusau, Akilu may replace Bello Haliru
Ike Abonyi and Chuks Okocha in Abuja
A graphic account of how General
Andrew Owoye Azazi (rtd) was removed
on Friday as National Security Adviser
by President Goodluck Jonathan has
emerged.
Inside sources at the Aso Rock
Presidential Villa, who gave the chilling
description of how Azazi’s stay at the
helm of the nation’s security
apparatchik ended, said it all began
moments after the President returned
from Brazil.
When he came back after attending the
Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the
President immediately summoned a
meeting of the National Security
Council and National Defence Council
with Azazi in attendance.
According to sources, after the meeting
he invited Azazi to his office and told
him there was no need for him to go
back to his office as he was being
replaced.
Azazi was stunned to the marrow. Still
in bewilderment, the former NSA then
sent for his aides to help retrieve his
personal effects from the office.
The President had sacked the NSA and
Defence Minister Bello Haliru
Mohammed. Azazi has been replaced by
Colonel Sambo Dasuki, who once served
as aide de camp to former military
president, General Ibrahim Babangida
(rtd). The replacement for Mohammed
is yet to be named for screening by the
Senate.
Announcing the shake-up, the Special
Adviser to the President on Media and
Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, had said:
"The NSA has been dropped; Sambo
Dasuki has been announced as his
replacement. The minister of defence
has also been dropped," Abati had said.
In the meantime, retired military and
security chiefs are moving to back
Dasuki, a scion of the Sokoto caliphate,
in the new assignment.
The officers are said to be resolved to
provide a bulwark behind Dasuki to rein
in the Boko Haram menace and find a
permanent solution to the growing
insecurity in parts of the North.
The President had left the country on
Monday as suicide bomb attacks
ravaged three churches in Kaduna last
Sunday.
The attacks, which killed several people,
would later spark off further violence in
the city and in Yobe State, necessitating
a 24-hour curfew.
THISDAY, has however, learnt that the
President’s move against Azazi and
Mohammed was not without reasons,
immediate and remote.
The immediate reason, according to the
sources, was last week’s bomb attacks
in Kaduna and Yobe states and the poor
handling of the crisis by the security
team.
It was learnt that there was high wire
intrigue within the top echelon at the
Presidential Villa, which came to fore
during the President’s trip to Brazil.
There was a clash of strategy by the
officers on how to respond to the
challenge posed by the Kaduna bomb
attack.
Also, the mystery death of Boko Haram
kingpin Bama within 24 hours after his
capture, though with gun shot wounds,
according to sources, played its role in
the President’s move to shake up the
security team.
Apart from his past alleged indiscretion
in the handling of his very high
sensitive position, the NSA’s poor
coordination of relevant agencies
especially in the Kaduna crisis and his
outburst on the emergency rule rumpus
was not well-received by the President
who felt it was one offence too many.
THISDAY learnt that the fall-out, which
has been a build-up to not too cordial
relationship in the cabinet, may lead to
full cabinet reshuffle by President
Jonathan.
“The changes were also informed by the
need to inject fresh blood, fresh ideas
into the security apparatchik of the
country,” one of the sources said.
Following the sack of Muhammed as
Defence Minister, former National
Security Adviser, General Aliyu Gusau
(rtd) and Director of Military
Intelligence under General Ibrahim
Babangida’s regime, Colonel Alilu Akilu
(rtd), are now in consideration for the
Defence Minister.
THISDAY has learnt that President
Goodluck Jonathan is seriously
considering the two former top security
men because he is desirous of giving
the top job to a strong personality with
the military background to rein in the
armed forces to combat insecurity.
Gusau was Chief of Army Staff during
the Babangida regime and served as
NSA for most of President Olusegun
Obasanjo's civilian regime.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) has commended President
Jonathan for taking what it called a pro-
active action to upgrade and address
the present security challenges in the
country.
PDP was said to have pushed for Azazi’s
removal, claiming that his loyalty is
suspect because of his remark on April
27 at a summit of the South-South
states in Asaba, Delta State, during
which he blamed the increasing
insecurity in the land on the zoning
policy of the party.
The National Publicity Secretary of the
party, Chief Olisa Metuh, who
applauded the President for the
changes, said: “we as a political party
are very much encouraged by the pro-
active action taken last Friday in the
sack of Azazi”.
He said the President’s action“has
proved that he is on top of the security
challenges in the country. The
President’s action is aimed at curtailing
the violence and insecurity in the
country.
“PDP as a political party has complete
faith in the ability and competence of
President Jonathan to handle affairs of
Nigeria as a country at this critical
time,” Metuh said, while appealing to
Nigerians to give maximum support to
the administration, saying, “God has
given Nigeria a humble and humane
leadership to administer affairs of the
country.”
The PDP spokesman said the security
challenges in Nigeria could have
created a dictator, were another person
to be in charge of affairs of Nigeria.
“This situation could have created a
monster and dictatorship in another
person in Nigeria in the management of
the present security challenges,” Metuh
said.

SOURCE: www.thisdaylive.com/articles/how-azazi-was-removed/118624/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter