Wednesday, April 21, 2021
  • About Us
  • Letter to the Editor
  • Data Usage Policy
  • Contact Us
MetroNews NG
  • Metro
  • Lagos
    • Opinion
    • Interview
    • Weird
  • World
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Nollywood
  • Odawood
  • Lifestyle
    • Careers
    • Education
    • Health
  • MetronewsNG TV
No Result
View All Result
MetroNews NG
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

RELEASE: Stop Leaking Secret on NIA – ExMinister Bolaji Akinyemi Warns

metronews by metronews
May 1, 2017
in Opinion
0
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

When the news broke that some millions of dollars had been found hidden in a flat in Osborne Rd, Ikoyi, Lagos, I was quite frankly indifferent as it has become a recurrent decimal. I was not even bothered when nobody initially stepped forward to claim it.
But when Ambassador Ayo Oke stepped forward to claim it on the part of the National Intelligence Agency, (NIA), alarm bells started to ring in my ears. It is one of the sacred traditions of the external intelligence trade to admit nothing and to deny nothing.
A saving grace emerged when the President set up the Osinbajo Panel to untangle the web over the millions of dollars. But the President inadvertently made a mistake. He did not appoint anyone with a history of external intelligence experience unto the panel.
External Intelligence operations do not belong into the same security genre as domestic security forces such as the SSS, EFCC and the Police.
External Inteligence officers, otherwise called spies, do not operate under the same operational penalties as domestic intelligence officers.
The ultimate penalty for a foreign spy in most countries is death. Countries go to incredible lengths to hide the identities of their agents both domestic and foreign and their operations. No receipts get issued. Budgets are called black budgets because they are never publicly acknowledged.
It would have been reassuring if the President had appointed a former head of or a former very senior member of NIA to be a member of the Panel. Even at this late stage, let me remind the Vice-President that a lawyer with a specialty in constitutional law will not appreciate the niceties of international law. It is not too late to appoint a retired Head of NIA as a consultant to the Panel.
What has motivated me at this late stage to issue this release is the news that the House of Representatives has now decided to institute its own inquiry to this peculiar mess.
This is a dangerous move. In my knowledge in this field, I know of only one occasion when a government, in this case, the United States Government , set up a Congressional Committee, the Church Committee, named after the Chairman, Senator Frank Churchill, to look into “GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS WITH RESPECT TO INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES”.
In fact the main issue which was its concern was “Did the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) ever indulge in carrying out assassinations of foreign Presidents?
Normally, foreign intelligence activities are shrouded in secrecy, and not in the glare of publicity.
Now the whole saga has made us a laughing stock in the world. Nigerian agents strewn all across Africa are now in dread of being exposed. Recruiting agents in future in Africa is going to be difficult out of fear of future exposure.
The following recommendations are to secure damage limitation:
1. It is not too late to call in a former Director of NIA to serve as a Consultant to the Osinbajo Panel.
2. No more leaks from the Panel.
3. Under no circumstances should the Report of the Panel in as far as it relates to the activities of the NIA be made public.
4. Under no circumstances should the National Assembly be allowed to conduct hearings into the NIA affair. The Osinbajo Panel Report could be shared secretly with the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House.
5. Should any NIA officer be found culpable, he or she should be quietly eased out. Putting a foreign intelligence officer on trial in an open court is going to be disastrous to external national security interests. If there is no provision to put an intelligence officer on trial in a secret and special court, an executive bill should be sent to the National Assembly to make provision for such.
6. Under no circumstances should one security agency be allowed to move against another security agency especially one dealing with foreign intelligence, without the express permission of the President or in his absence the Acting President. This should be without any publicity or fanfare.
A press release from Professor A. Bolaji Akinyemi, former External Affairs Minister, Deputy Chairman 2014 National Conference

Previous Post

Access To Education, A Must For All In Lagos – Ambode

Next Post

Texas police shoot dead 15-year-old boy Jordan Edwards as he leaves party in Balch Springs

Related Posts

Tambuwal: PDP Governors Will Support FG To Fight Insecurity
Opinion

2023 Elections: YORUBA MUST RONU

April 5, 2021
TUKUR BURATAI YEARS:  His Unrivalled Legacy As Nigerian Army Chief of Staff
Careers

TUKUR BURATAI YEARS: His Unrivalled Legacy As Nigerian Army Chief of Staff

February 26, 2021
OPINION: BELLO TURNING NIGER TO AN ECONOMIC GIANT DESPITE OBSTACLES
Featured

OPINION: BELLO TURNING NIGER TO AN ECONOMIC GIANT DESPITE OBSTACLES

February 11, 2021
Next Post

Texas police shoot dead 15-year-old boy Jordan Edwards as he leaves party in Balch Springs

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

BROWSE BY CATEGORIES

  • #SmartLagos
  • Basketball
  • Beauty
  • Boxing
  • Breaking
  • Business
  • Careers
  • Crime
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Event
  • Fashion
  • Featured
  • Football
  • Gaming
  • Gist
  • Golf
  • Health
  • Inspirational Patience
  • Interview
  • Investigative
  • Lifestyle
  • local
  • MetroMan
  • MetroPerson
  • metroplus
  • MetroProfile
  • Movies
  • Music
  • MUSIC
  • New Music
  • News
  • Nollywood
  • Novels
  • Odawood
  • Opinion
  • Parenting
  • Photos
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • Relationship
  • Religion
  • Scandal
  • Sex
  • Society
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • TV
  • Uncategorized
  • Videos
  • Weird
  • Wheels
  • World

BROWSE BY TOPICS

#COVID19Nigeria #EndSARS Adams Oshiomhole Akinwunmi Ambode APC ASUU Atiku Abubakar Big brother Naija 2020 boko haram Buhari Bukola Saraki CBN court COVID-19 davido Donald Trump Edo Election Edo state Edo State Election efcc Federal Government FG Godwin Obaseki Goodluck Jonathan IGP INEC ize iyamu Kayode Fayemi Lagos Lagos State Lai Mohammed Muhammadu Buhari NCDC Nigeria NYSC Obaseki Olusegun Obasanjo PDP police President Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari Sanwo Olu tinubu wike Yemi Osinbajo

Recent News

  • Miss Abia State carts away brand new car, N200,000, 1 year modeling contract
  • YORUBA AGENDA:OGD Visits Akande Calls for Unity among SW Political Leaders
  • BREAKING: Mourinho Sacked As Tottenham Coach
  • About Us
  • Letter to the Editor
  • Data Usage Policy
  • Contact Us

© Copyright MetroNews NG 2020. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Metro
  • Lagos
    • Opinion
    • Interview
    • Weird
  • World
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Nollywood
  • Odawood
  • Lifestyle
    • Careers
    • Education
    • Health
  • MetronewsNG TV

© Copyright MetroNews NG 2020. All rights reserved.