By Festus Fifen

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations CSOs on Tuesday Charged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to place competence and good track record over political Affiliation in the appointment of his National Security Adviser.

Addressing a Press Conference in Abuja the group said considering the sensitivity of the office and the role it plays in national and economic development and stability, the occupant of the office should be someone who has the prerequisite knowledge and experience to deliver or core mandates of a democratically elected government.

Reading from a prepared text, Danladi Isaac Executive Director of the People’s Care And Advocacy Initiative (TPCAI), said the coalition was compelled to draw the president’s attention because of the imperative to avoid mistakes.

In his words “The NSA serves as the chief adviser to Mr. President on matters of national security. In other words, he manages national security on behalf of the President and serves as his chief adviser on all matters that are vital to the very survival of the state.

” The new NSA must be a knowledgeable, innovative, and experienced personality that understands the security architecture of Nigeria. A personality that will earn technical support from Global securities apparatus for a secured Nigeria. There is no room for mediocrity and lukewarmness.

” A tried and tested hand who has transformed or built a national security and diplomatic outfit will be a good fit. There is no time for theoreticians and office workers. It is urgent and critical. There is a crying need for complete transformative change in the security architectures in Nigeria.”

Danladi Isaac added that In the last five years, the issues of banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herdsmen clashes, illegal mining and oil bunkering have reached astronomical and intolerable heights that must be handled by not just a competent man in just military security, but a proactive, bold, calculative, well respected, and that will be accepted.

“Apart from the aforementioned military security challenges, there are issues of economic security, involving multi-national agreements, mutual inter-dependence and availability of natural resources, with the freedom to exercise choice of policies to develop a nation’s economy in the manner desired by the exigencies of the market forces.

“We can not also forget cybersecurity. Electronic information systems are vital for maintaining the national security of any Nation. Possible unauthorized access to the critical Governmental infrastructures by state and non-state entities can create a serious threat and have a negative impact on the entire security landscape of the Nation.

“This is not the time to use the appointment of National Security Adviser for political compensation, but for National re- architectures and engineering of security systems.

“President Tinubu is a vastly experienced politician, who judging by his utterances and actions in the last two weeks and more importantly who knows the gargantuan security challenges we presently face as a nation, would not be easily cowed by politically-induced influence but pragmatic consideration in the appointment of his NSA.

“We urge and appeal Mr. President to shun politics in this vital appointment and consult widely for a logical conclusion by putting a round peg in a round hole in his choice as National Security Adviser.

The coalition expressed confidence in the ability of Tinubu to deliver, noting that his first two weeks in office has provided the foundation for dialogue and consensus building.