Former Director-General of the Department of State Services, Lawal Daura, has attributed some of the setbacks associated with the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari to individuals around him who, according to him, abused the former president’s trust.
Daura, who is the Allied Peoples Movement vice-presidential candidate, made the claim while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.
The former intelligence chief rejected the assessment that Buhari’s administration was the worst in Nigeria’s history, challenging critics to examine the country’s political and economic experience between 1995 and 2023 before arriving at such a verdict.
“Yes, they can say it, but I also want them, the real students of history, to go back from 1995 to 2023, when he exited, and find out which were the worst years. I wasn’t part of the government then,” Daura said.
He maintained that he remained loyal to Buhari while serving as DSS director-general, adding that the administration began to experience setbacks after his departure from office in 2018.
“And that will show you that I stood by him and I protected that government. Everything started to give way after 2018 since I left office,” he said.
Daura also dismissed claims that he was part of a powerful “cabal” allegedly operating around Buhari and influencing decisions in the administration.
“No, there is no cabal,” he said.
According to him, the demands of his position as the nation’s intelligence chief required constant access to the president, which he said should not be interpreted as evidence of membership of any political clique.
“Even if there was a cabal, the intelligence chief of a country can never be part of a cabal because the schedule I handled made it necessary for me to be close to the president at all times,” Daura said.
He nevertheless acknowledged that some individuals close to Buhari, whom he described as sycophants, failed to justify the confidence reposed in them.
Rather than necessarily misleading the former president, Daura said, such individuals betrayed the trust placed in them and failed to match the responsibilities they were given.
He identified appointments based primarily on personal relationships as one of the lessons that should be drawn from the experience.
Daura argued that friendship, loyalty or personal association should not automatically qualify anyone for a sensitive government position, stressing that competence and suitability must also be considered.
He said even when a trusted associate is considered for an appointment, the person’s abilities should be assessed before deciding the level of responsibility to assign.
“And even if you are to do that, you must also weigh the quality of that person and then maybe place him in an office that befits him or is proportionate to maybe the level of trust you have in that person,” he said.
Reflecting on Buhari’s administration, Daura added: “But in that situation, an unfortunate situation, I would say, it so happened that people were just, you know, trusted.”