Monguno: How Buhari’s inner circle undermined national security

Babagana Monguno, former national security adviser (NSA), says a cabal within the presidency undermined his office during the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Monguno offered his opinion in ‘From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari’, a biography written by Charles Omole.

He said a routine security recommendation to change the fuel supplier for the presidential air fleet unearthed entrenched interests within the presidency.

Monguno said the commander of the presidential air fleet raised concerns that the supplier was under investigation and posed a security risk if indicted.

He said he wrote to Buhari, attached the commander’s memo, and recommended changing the supplier, which the president approved.

Monguno said the decision angered Abba Kyari, then chief of staff, who demanded, “Why did you do this?”

He said he replied that remaining silent in the event of an incident would have left responsibility “on my neck”.

According to Monguno, the matter went beyond a technical safeguard and revealed competing interests even within the security architecture of the villa.

He said the supplier had been introduced during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration on a temporary basis but had developed deep roots under successive governments.

Monguno said Mamman Daura, Buhari’s nephew, later visited his residence and described the decision as an “injustice” to the fuel supplier while questioning his motives.

He said he reiterated that the recommendation came from the fleet’s commander and was a standard risk mitigation measure.

Monguno said the disagreement widened the rift and made him persona non grata to Daura.

“The Minister of Finance, who owed loyalty to Mamman Daura, was co-opted to withhold funds from the NSA office even after Buhari’s approval,” he said.

“Buhari and Nigerians were both victims of the Cabal that enriched itself beyond measure.”

He said starving the NSA office of funds weakened the country’s security architecture and effectively blinded the state.

Monguno stated that the funds inherited from his predecessor had been exhausted, while subscriptions for critical systems and technical partnerships with foreign agencies had lapsed.

He said the surveillance infrastructure around the villa was maintained with funds from the NSA’s budget, but approvals to keep it current were repeatedly stalled.

Monguno said he sent more than thirty reminders and made repeated face-to-face pleas to Buhari, who often said, “Leave the file”, or later, “I’ve sent it to Malam Abba”.

He said the gap between presidential intent and execution steadily eroded national capacity.

“Institutional memory suffered too. The Special Services Office — the permanent secretariat that records, collates, and preserves the minutes of the intelligence community — was sidelined,” he said.

He added that about 20 national security council meetings were held without the proper secretariat, with notes taken by staff from the chief of staff’s office.

Monguno said he refused to proceed with a council meeting after Boss Mustapha became secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) until his secretariat was admitted.

He said he operated without a permanent secretary for 20 months due to what he described as political calculus.

Monguno said even after Buhari approved the appointment, a counter-note from a gatekeeper undermined the decision.

“You do not need a conspiracy to weaken a system; you only need petty sabotage repeated often enough,” he added.

In 2021, TheCable reported that Monguno, who served as NSA from 2015 to 2023, was increasingly cutting the image of an isolated, powerless NSA under Buhari because most of his expectations had not been met — and also because the president had redefined his role.