Christian youth leader, Kadzai, lauds Ribadu’s appointment as NSA

The National Youth Leader of the Congress of Northern Nigeria Christians (CNNC), Engr. Daniel Kadzai, has congratulated Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as the first National Security Adviser (NSA), without a military background since the return of the 3rd republic.

Kadzai also applauded President Bola Tinubu for appointing a non-military person for the position.

The youth leader who was also the former National President, Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN), said Ribadu, who was the first Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was one of the best Chairmen of the Commission.

“You will recall during his time, it was zero percent corruption”, Kadzai said in a statement sent to our correspondent, Wednesday.

According to him: “As EFCC boss, he was going by himself to monitor officers deployed to carry out tasks. He was thorough and sent panic to corrupt politicians just by the mention of his name.

“Ribadu’s pragmatic approach to intelligence gathering and crime-fighting while in EFCC earned him global recognition and awards.

“His remarkable efforts led to the delisting of Nigeria from the Financial Action Task Force List of Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories; admission into the prestigious Egmont Group, and the withdrawal of the US Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Advisory on Nigeria.

“Ribadu was a visiting fellow at the Center for Global Development, a TED Fellow, and a Senior Fellow in St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford, UK. Such a man should be given the office of the NSA”, Kadzai said.

However, while congratulating him, the CNNC national youth leader urged Ribadu to live up to the expectations of his new portfolio.

He advised him against politicising the state of security by making alliances.

Our correspondent reports that the new NSA was born on Nov. 21, 1960, and was an intelligence police operative who retired as Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG).

He came to the national limelight as a star prosecutor at the Oputa Panel which was created to investigate human rights abuses during the military era.