RIBADU: A PROFILE IN COURAGE 

DECAN honours Nuhu Ribadu for strengthening Nigeria’s counterinsurgency campaigns, writes SAMBO YAKUBU

Leadership is often measured not only by the responsibilities entrusted to an individual but also by the confidence, recognition and institutional influence that grow around the discharge of those responsibilities. In Nigeria’s demanding national security environment, where the consequences of failure are measured in lost lives, displaced communities and destroyed livelihoods, the emergence of a credible and coordinated security leadership is particularly significant.

For National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the steady growth of his public profile is becoming increasingly evident. His latest recognition by the Defence Correspondents Association (DECAN), which honoured him for strengthening Nigeria’s counterinsurgency campaign and recording gains in the fight against terrorism, is another indication of the attention his stewardship is attracting within the national security community.

The award, presented at the third edition of DECAN’s conference, carries significance beyond the ceremonial value of a plaque or commendation. It represents an acknowledgement by professionals who regularly report on defence and security matters of the importance of strategic coordination in confronting Nigeria’s complex security challenges.

The association described Ribadu’s contribution in unmistakable terms, recognising his “outstanding leadership, strategic coordination and dedicated service in strengthening and managing Nigeria’s national security architecture” as National Security Adviser to the President.

Although the award was received on his behalf by the Director of Legal at the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa, the recognition reinforces Ribadu’s growing visibility as a central figure in the country’s security policy and coordination efforts.

It is a profile that has been shaped by the extraordinary demands of the office he occupies. Nigeria has battled the Boko Haram insurgency for approximately 15 years, a conflict that has exacted an enormous human and economic toll. Lives have been lost, communities devastated, properties destroyed and productive activities disrupted, with the consequences extending far beyond the immediate theatres of conflict.

The country’s security challenges have also evolved. While terrorism and insurgency remain major concerns, banditry, kidnapping, organised criminal networks, cyber threats and other emerging risks have expanded the responsibilities of the national security establishment.

In such an environment, the NSA’s office occupies a strategically important position. It must help bring together the intelligence community, military institutions, law enforcement agencies and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that national security responses are coordinated, informed and aligned with the country’s priorities.

This is where Ribadu’s leadership is attracting particular attention. The growing recognition of his role reflects an appreciation of the fact that winning the security battle requires more than individual operations by separate agencies. It requires a system in which information is shared, intelligence is properly assessed, institutional responsibilities are clearly understood and operations are guided by a common strategic direction.

The theme of the DECAN conference, “Beyond Kinetic Warfare: Harnessing Technology and Intelligence-Led Operations for Nigeria’s National Security,” is therefore especially relevant to the broader conversation about Ribadu’s growing profile.

It captures the changing character of modern security challenges and the need for Nigeria to move beyond an approach defined exclusively by the deployment of force.

Military operations remain indispensable in confronting terrorist groups and armed criminal organisations. However, lasting progress depends equally on the quality of intelligence, the ability to anticipate threats, the effective use of technology and the coordination of institutions responsible for protecting the country. A terrorist network cannot be effectively dismantled merely by confronting its armed operatives. Its sources of finance, communication channels, recruitment structures, supply chains and support networks must also be identified and disrupted. This requires intelligence cooperation, investigative capacity, technological resources and sustained institutional collaboration.

Similarly, the fight against banditry and kidnapping requires an understanding of criminal networks that operate across geographical and institutional boundaries. No single security agency possesses every capability necessary to address these threats independently.

The significance of an intelligence-led approach is that it enables security institutions to act with greater precision, anticipate emerging dangers and make better use of available resources. It also offers the prospect of reducing unnecessary risks to civilians and security personnel.

By bringing senior military and security officials, government representatives, policymakers and journalists together around these questions, the DECAN conference provided an important platform for examining the future of Nigeria’s security architecture.

Ribadu’s recognition at such a gathering is noteworthy because it places his stewardship within a conversation that goes beyond the immediate headlines of military operations. It highlights the importance of the strategic architecture that connects policy, intelligence, technology and operational responses.

His growing profile also reflects the wider responsibilities of the NSA’s office in a country where security and development are deeply interconnected. Insecurity does not merely threaten lives; it undermines agriculture, discourages investment, disrupts education, weakens local economies and places additional pressure on public finances.

A farmer unable to access his land because of terrorist or bandit activity is a victim of insecurity, but the consequences extend to food production and national economic stability. A business forced to close because of repeated attacks represents not only a private loss but also a setback to employment, investment and government revenue.

This reality makes the coordination of national security efforts an essential part of the country’s wider development ambitions. Security is not an isolated government responsibility. It is a foundation for economic transformation, social stability and national cohesion.

Consequently, the growing recognition of Ribadu’s leadership should also be understood within the context of the need to build a more integrated security system—one capable of responding to immediate threats while strengthening the institutions and partnerships required for lasting stability.

There is, however, an important distinction between recognition and results. An award, however prestigious, cannot by itself establish the success of a national security campaign. The ultimate measure of Ribadu’s stewardship must remain the safety of Nigerians, the restoration of communities affected by violence, the protection of livelihoods and the capacity of security institutions to prevent and respond effectively to threats.

This makes the DECAN honour both an acknowledgement and a challenge. It recognises the importance of the work being undertaken while reinforcing the expectations that accompany the office.

For Ribadu, the responsibility is therefore to convert growing institutional recognition into sustained and measurable security improvements. Nigerians need to see stronger intelligence coordination, more effective disruption of criminal networks, improved protection of vulnerable communities and a security architecture that earns public confidence through professionalism and accountability.

The media also has an important role in this process. Defence correspondents are uniquely positioned to interrogate security policies, examine operational outcomes, highlight institutional gaps and provide citizens with informed assessments of developments. Their recognition of strategic leadership is meaningful, but their responsibility to scrutinise the performance of the security system remains equally important.

Ultimately, Ribadu’s growing profile is a reflection of the national attention now focused on the strategic leadership of Nigeria’s security architecture. His recognition by DECAN underscores the importance of coordination, intelligence and institutional cooperation in confronting a security crisis that has endured for far too long.

Nigeria needs a security system that is not only capable of responding to attacks but also sufficiently intelligent, technologically equipped and institutionally connected to prevent them. It needs leadership that can bring different agencies together, sustain a common direction and insist that national security remains a collective priority.

The recognition of Nuhu Ribadu by the Defence Correspondents Association is an encouraging endorsement of the importance of that responsibility. But the greater honour will be earned when the gains of strategic coordination translate into safer communities, restored livelihoods and a country in which citizens can live, work and pursue their ambitions without the persistent fear of violence.

 Yakubu writes from Abuja