Debo Basorun, a retired major and former press secretary to Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, speaks with NIYI ODEBODE on the insecurity in the country and the choice of retired Col. Sambo Dasuki as the new National Security Adviser

How well do you know the new National
Security Adviser?
Fairly well I would say. As captains, we both served
under Lt.-Gen. Inuwa Wushishi, who was the Chief of
Army Staff in the early ’80s. Sambo was the Military
Assistant, while I was the Public Relations Officer.
Gen. Ibrahim Babangida was the Director, Army Staff
Duties and Plans. After IBB had become the President
in 1986, Sambo was at a later stage brought in to
replace Capt. Femi Mepaiyeda – the original Aide-de-
Camp. He too was to be replaced in that appointment
by the late Lt.-Col. U. K. Bello, who lost his life during the failed Okar coup d’etat.

What will you say about Sambo’s appointment
as the NSA?
The appointment of Sambo in replacement for Gen.
Owoye Azazi as the NSA is an unambiguous
statement by the Jonathan Administration that the
duties of that office were in want of a more
satisfactory discharge. To that extent, it affirmed the
prerogative of the C-in-C to appoint persons, who, in
his reckoning, would make him succeed. However,
Sambo’s appointment has thrown up a lot of
questions as to what relevant professional training,
experience and skills he possesses that gave him the
edge over others in the selection process aimed at
finding solutions to the country’s current security
challenges. Was any consideration, for example,
given as to whether or not his military records were
outstanding enough to warrant his appointment?
Sambo was throughout his career an Artillery Officer
although he reportedly holds a degree in security
studies. If, therefore, the latter is the sole criterion used in his selection, then about one-fifth of retired army officers would qualify because of their exposure to one intelligence course or the other during their service. Apart from that, he has been detached from military duties for 20-something years when he was
retired by the Abacha regime. Short of the
questionable political consideration in which the
appointment is wrapped, there are a lot of retired
senior officers versed in intelligence and security
matters, who would have been a perfect fit for the
position of NSA.

What do you think was really the problem with
Azazi?
From all indications, the general’s immediate
problem is widely traced to his audacity in stirring
the hornet’s nest by associating Nigeria’s ruling
party, the Peoples Democratic Party, with the
nation’s extant security problems. This came against
the backdrop of the vehement opposition mounted
by a section of this country against Jonathan’s
ascension. The reckless abandon with which the Boko
Haram sect has been unleashing terror on the
country, coupled with the spineless and sometimes
defeatist response of the security agencies to their
relentless onslaught, was the last straw that broke
Azazi’s back. Inasmuch as one ought not to bother
about where the President comes from if he or she
could deliver, it could be said that Azazi was a victim
of ‘we-have-to-rule-at-all-costs’ political mentality of a segment of this country. Unfortunately, it seems
that the President has eventually caved in to such a
selfish demand. Based on his antecedents when he
was in service, what no one can take away or dispute
is that Azazi was one of the best spooks this country
has ever produced.

Do you think Dasuki will make a difference?
This is clearly a catch 22 kind of situation, but the
odds seem to be in his favour. With a near-limitless
flow of our oil money to the fanatics from the office of the NSA, they would quickly forget about inheriting
77 virgins each in their after-lives. The probabilities
are even much higher once it is realised that power
would have been returned to its traditional base. We
are all praying for peace, but if Sambo is able to
make a quick difference where someone like Azazi is
seen to have failed, will people not think it is because he comes from the ‘politically correct’ section of the country? Without any iota of doubt, Jonathan’s choice for that position would eventually turn out to be his Achilles’ heel in his bid for re-election.

What do you think about the move to appoint the next Minister of Defence?

Speculations are rife that they want to bring back
Gen. Aliyu Gusau, the former NSA. If that proves to
be true, then it will mean a complete routing for
President Jonathan come 2015. If the duo of Dasuki
and Gusau are made to work together in those
capacities, one would want to say that Jonathan had
not only shot himself in the foot, but in the mouth.
Handing over the security of his Presidency to Dasuki
goes with the implication that the President has
succumbed to the threats and intimidation of some
northern leaders, who swore at the inception of his
administration that they would make this country
ungovernable for him. Are you going to completely
divorce those threats from the Boko Haram insurgency? Are you saying that if those sworn enemies of the President sincerely love this country in every sense of the word, the mayhem would not have been stopped? This is in spite of the fact that a good number of them are still lavishly enjoying the proceeds of their oil blocks, courtesy of this same Jonathan that they are hell bent on destroying. Don’t you find it a curious coincidence that 48 hours after Babangida’s declaration that a dialogue with the extremists was the only panacea for peace, the new NSA echoed the same sentiment? One thing that cannot be faulted, going by our political history, is that a combination of the holder of the lever of clandestine power, as in Dasuki’s case, and the holder of coercive military power as in Gusau’s instance, if confirmed, is a deadly poison to our collective political future. Sambo was ADC τ̅☺ Babangida. Now, consider Gusau, whom Babangida
appointed as his Chief of Army Staff when he was
involuntarily relinquishing power only to be booted
out by Abacha a week after his appointment in the
mix. You can now do the calculation to see why I said
Jonathan should just forget about a second run at the
presidency in 2015.

With Dasuki’s appointment, what do you think
of the power configuration between the North
and the South?
I do not possess a crystal ball but from all indications, however, Babangida – who claims to be the sole dominator of his environment – is fully back in the picture. Although, the chances are slim that he will run for the presidency again in 2015, he certainly
would be ruling this country by proxy. With people
like Sambo and Gusau at the helm of the security
apparatus, it is a foregone conclusion that Babangida
will be the kingmaker come 2015. And may God save
the souls of his known critics and would-be others.

Do you think Dasuki’s appointment was
Jonathan’s independent decision or somebody
else’s recommendation?

There is always someone to recommend someone.
That Dasuki’s last public appointment as Director-
General of National Security and Printing Company
during Obasanjo’s days was facilitated by the same
Babangida is public knowledge.

Will Boko Haram attacks go down with the
coming of Dasuki?
Having acquiesced to the demands of the northern
power elite through his capitulation as expressed by
Sambo’s appointment, Jonathan has given back the
presidency of this nation to the North on a platter of
gold. And with the Presidency safely back in the
hands of their principals, there would be peace, but
that is not a guarantee that the country would not be
returned to the era of lootocracy as was the case
before.


Source: www.punchng.com/politics/azazi-was-victim-of-rule-at-all-costs-mentality-debo-basorun/