Arewa Think Tank: Tunji-Ojo didn’t interfere in Audi’s tenure matter
The Convener of Arewa Think Tank (ATT), Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, has dismissed allegations that Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo interfered in the proposed two-year service extension of the Commandant General of
The Convener of Arewa Think Tank (ATT), Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, has dismissed allegations that Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo interfered in the proposed two-year service extension of the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ahmed Abubakar Audi.
Yakubu described the claims as false and politically motivated.
In a statement, the ATT convener said accusations circulating in parts of the North suggesting that Tunji-Ojo was attempting to block the extension of the NSCDC Commandant General were “not true and not correct”.
He added: “What the youth group is saying about the minister is not true and is not correct.
Advertisement
300x250
“They should not bring politics into a very serious and sensitive issue such as security.”
Yakubu was responding to a statement by the Coalition of Northern Youths Consultative Movement (CNYCM), which accused the minister of attempting to frustrate a reported presidential approval for a two-year extension of Audi’s tenure.
READ ALSO: Africa needs own credit rating agency
The group alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had approved the extension in recognition of Audi’s performance, similar to extensions granted to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
In a statement in Kaduna by its General Secretary, Bilal Gambo, ATT warned that any move to halt the extension could destabilise the corps and undermine national security.
It also alleged that the minister was seeking to install a preferred successor for personal interests, claims Yakubu strongly refuted.
Advertisement
300x250
“The minister has been doing very, very well. He is one of the high-profile, respected and performing ministers in the Tinubu cabinet,” Yakubu said.
“We should allow due process and allow what the President has approved to take place. We must not mix up issues or regionalise, politicise or ethnicise security matters, especially at this time in our national development and as we approach elections.”
Yakubu applauded Audi’s leadership of the NSCDC, noting that he has recorded significant operational successes.
Since assuming office, Audi has overseen the arrest of over 1,200 vandals and criminal suspects, secured 142 convictions, and dismantled 218 illegal refineries.
Under his watch, the NSCDC established the Civil Defence Academy in Jos, the Arms Squad Training School in Nasarawa, and a dedicated Female Squad to enhance gender inclusion.
The NSCDC has also expanded its mandate in protecting critical national assets, including oil pipelines and agricultural infrastructure, earning commendations from state governments and security stakeholders.
Yakubu urged stakeholders and youth groups to avoid inflammatory statements capable of undermining public confidence in security institutions.
“Security should never be reduced to political contestation,” he said. “We must support our institutions and respect constitutional processes for the sake of national stability,” he stated.
