The immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA) Babagana Monguno has detailed how a powerful “cabal” within the presidency systematically undermined his office, prioritizing private interests over national safety.
Naijaonpoint reports that this was revealed in the new biography From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari.
The friction reportedly began with a routine security recommendation. Monguno advised President Buhari to replace the fuel supplier for the presidential air fleet after the fleet commander warned that the vendor was under investigation and posed a potential security risk.
Although Buhari approved the change, the move sparked immediate backlash from high-ranking officials. Monguno recalls being confronted by then-Chief of Staff late Abba Kyari, who demanded to know why the change was made.
Monguno maintained that he acted to avoid personal liability in the event of a security incident.
The fallout from this decision allegedly led to a coordinated effort to paralyze the NSA’s operations. Monguno claims that Mamman Daura, Buhari’s nephew, viewed the removal of the supplier, who had been entrenched since the Obasanjo era, as an “injustice.”
Monguno said the disagreement widened the rift and made him persona non grata to Daura.
According to Monguno, this rift resulted in the Minister of Finance allegedly withholding approved funds from the NSA office at the behest of the “cabal.”
“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 critical technical partnerships with foreign agencies lapsed, and surveillance infrastructure around the Villa fell into disrepair due to stalled approvals.
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.
According to him, National Security Council meetings were often conducted without the proper secretariat, with minutes taken by the Chief of Staff’s office instead of the designated Special Services Office.
Monguno described a widening gap between President Buhari’s instructions and their actual execution. Despite sending over 30 reminders and making personal pleas, Monguno noted that the President would often direct him to leave files with “Malam Abba.”
The former NSA, who served from 2015 to 2023, concluded that both the President and the Nigerian public were victims of a group that enriched itself while “blinding the state.”
“You do not need a conspiracy to weaken a system,” Monguno stated in the biography. “You only need petty sabotage repeated often enough.”