By Adewole Kehinde
The recent call by Senator Francis Fadahunsi (APC, Osun), urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to replace the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, with a retired military officer, is not only misplaced but also reflects a narrow and outdated understanding of what national security leadership means in the modern era.
The National Security Adviser, commonly referred to as the NSA, is a senior official of the federal government of Nigeria.
The National Security Adviser acts on behalf of the president of Nigeria, coordinating the management of all national security matters as the principal adviser on state security.
We must be clear: a National Security Adviser is NOT required by law or the Constitution to be a military officer. While previous administrations in Nigeria have leaned heavily toward appointing retired military officers to that office, this has been merely a tradition, not a constitutional obligation and certainly not a national security doctrine.
More importantly, the Constitution vests the powers of appointment squarely in the President. The NSA is a presidential appointee who serves at the pleasure of the president and does not require Senate confirmation. Meaning: the discretion lies entirely with the Commander-in-Chief, and that discretion must be guided by competence, not uniformity.
In the 21st-century security environment, the role of a National Security Adviser goes far beyond military command. It requires sophisticated managerial, analytical, and coordination capabilities and the skill to harmonise intelligence from multiple agencies, interpret emerging security threats, and provide objective advice covering terrorism, cyber threats, intelligence, diplomacy, internal security, and geopolitical dynamics.
Indeed, the world’s most successful democracies increasingly appoint civilian intelligence experts, technocrats, analysts, or seasoned security strategists as their NSAs. Modern security is intelligence-driven, data-driven, and technologically informed. The assumption that only someone with a military background can coordinate national security is simply outdated.
What Nigeria needs today is deeper intelligence coordination, not recycled military stereotypes. What matters is competence, professional expertise, and the capacity to interface among the DSS, DIA, NIA, the armed forces, and other strategic security institutions.
Our nation cannot afford to reduce such a sensitive office to political posturing or outdated assumptions. Whether military or civilian, the NSA must be someone with demonstrated experience in national security affairs, strategic thinking, and the ability to coordinate complex security architecture effectively. That is what the President has chosen in Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and that is what Nigeria needs now more than ever.
Adewole Kehinde is a public affairs analyst based in Abuja. 08166240846. email: kennyadewole@gmail.com X: kennyadewole
