The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu Monday assured President Bola Tinubu and the entire country that security agencies will accomplish the objective of securing the country as well as re-establish peace and stability.
Ribadu was responding to the President’s charge that they should work as a team to deliver on the mandate of dealing with the protracted security challenges in the country.
His charge came against the backdrop of the insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes that have threatened the corporate existence of the country.
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the President’s maiden meeting with the security chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the NSA, Mallam Ribadu, said: “The President directed them to work as a team and deliver on their mandate.
Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, he said: “We’re here to thank Mr President for the opportunity he gave us to serve our country and to serve his own government. We also pledged our loyalty to him, Nigeria and Nigerians.
“We believe the choice he made is the right one, the correct one, and we know what he wants for this country.
‘’We’re going to work tirelessly to ensure we accomplish that objective of securing our country, establishing peace, stability and let’s get our lives back.
‘Work as a team and deliver’
“He gave us the assurance that he’s with us one hundred per cent. He told us we must work as a team and that there’s work to be done, he’ll expect us to deliver and we’re grateful for the opportunity. That’s why we are here.”
Asked what would be the starting point of the new security heads, Ribadu said: “Where we are today and you can see already, things are improving in our country.
“If you see the record of crimes and activities of criminals are going down, it will continue to go down. We’ll secure this place.
“Nigerians have seen the quality of the people that are given opportunity, they are probably some of the best we have and they are not going to fail you, they’ll certainly deliver. Thank you very much.”
Apart from the NSA, others in attendance were the Chief of Defence Staff, Major-General Christopher Musa, Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Taoreed Lagbaja, Chief of Naval Staff, Rear-Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Hassan Abubakar, and the Acting IGP, Kayode Egbetokun.
Recall that in Tinubu’s meeting with the immediate past service chiefs, he warned them against working at cross-purposes, if the war against insecurity were to be won.
He had insisted that the security chiefs must work together to avoid mistakes of the past where there was inter-agency rivalry, which gave insurgents, bandits and kidnappers the room to fester and threaten the country’s corporate existence.