It is no longer news that President Goodluck Jonathan brought a 'special gift' for Nigerians on his return from Brazil on Friday. Gen. Andrew Azazi is OUT, Col. Sambo Dasuki is IN!

Sources in the seat of power told  that the mood in Aso Rock is one of "silence" as nobody has been able to read Mr. President's body language in the last 24 hours. One source said there are fears that a few highly placed official in the security hierarchy might also be kicked out in the course of the week.

Fingers crossed! Lets move to the new man in the hot seat:
Retired Col. Sambo Mohammed Dasuki, the new NSA, comes from the royal family of Sokoto. He is the son of the former Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmed Dasuki, who was deposed by the military regime of the late Gen. Sani Abacha.

Gen. Abacha dismissed Dasuki in 1993 over his suspected closeness to former head of state, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. Dasuki was a former ADC to Gen. Babangida, and he was believed to be actively involved in the 1985 coup that brought Babangida to power.

Dasuki later fled to the United States in 1995 after he was accused by the Abacha regime of being a party to a coup plot allegedly led by retired Col. Lawan Gwadabe.

On Dasuki's return to Nigeria, then President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him as the managing director of National Security and Printing Company. It was believed that his appointment was influenced by Gen. Babangida.

Dasuki attended the Washington DC and George Washington University, where he obtained a BA in International Relations and MA in Security Policy Studies respectively.

He had his military training in several institutions in Nigeria and abroad including the Nigerian Army School of Artillery, Oklahoma, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Ft. Leavenworth Kensas.

The major task handed down to Dasuki by President Jonathan is to tackle Boko Haram insurgency, which is already threatening to spread into other regions of the country. He will also be expected to tackle militancy in the South-South, where Nigeria derives its main source of revenue.

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Posted: at 23-06-2012 11:35 AM (11 years ago) | Upcoming

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