Monguno has alleged that Buhari’s NSA Funds were withheld by powerful Cabal in Presidency.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that Former National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno, has alleged that some funds approved by former President Muhammadu Buhari for his office were deliberately withheld by powerful interests within the Presidency.
Monguno, who served as NSA from 2015 to 2023, made the disclosure in a new book, From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari. The biography, written by Charles Omole, was recently launched at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
In the book, Monguno explained that the funding challenges began after he acted on intelligence from the Commander of the Presidential Air Fleet. According to him, the commander warned that the company supplying fuel to the fleet was under investigation and could pose a security risk if indicted.
Acting on the advice, Monguno said he wrote to President Buhari, recommending a change of fuel supplier. He noted that Buhari approved the decision, but the move allegedly angered what he described as “entrenched interests” within the Presidency.
Monguno claimed that the late Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, was the first to challenge him over the decision, asking why he took such action. He added that Buhari’s nephew, Mamman Daura, was also displeased, believing the decision was unfair to the fuel supplier.
According to Monguno, the Minister of Finance was subsequently used to frustrate his office financially.
“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. Buhari and Nigerians were both victims of the cabal that enriched itself beyond measure,” he was quoted as saying in the book.
He said the withholding of funds had severe consequences for national security, noting that reserves left by his predecessor were quickly exhausted, while subscriptions for critical security systems and partnerships with foreign agencies expired.
Monguno also revealed that surveillance equipment around the Presidential Villa depended on the NSA’s budget, but approvals for maintenance and upgrades were repeatedly delayed. He further alleged that some presidential approvals, including appointments, were occasionally overturned through what he described as “counter-notes from a gatekeeper.”
“You do not need a conspiracy to weaken a system; you only need petty sabotage repeated often enough,” he said.
The book also features accounts from former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, detailing her experiences in the Presidential Villa.
She claimed that rumours within the Villa once led her husband to suspect she intended to harm him, disrupting his feeding routine and contributing to the illness that kept him away from office for several months in 2017.
Aisha Buhari said the gossip created temporary mistrust between them, causing Buhari to alter his habits, including locking his room and skipping meals.
“This is given his long history of nutritional challenges. Buhari’s illnesses were neither mysterious nor the result of poisoning,” she said.
According to the book, after Buhari moved from Kaduna to the Presidential Villa, responsibility for his diet shifted to official handlers, leading to missed meals and suspended supplements. Aisha Buhari said this significantly weakened him and marked the beginning of his health struggles.
She also alleged that mistrust within the Presidency extended to surveillance and the bugging of private conversations, adding to the anxiety that characterised Buhari’s final years in office.