The Presidency has said that the newly appointed director general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar does not have a dual nationality.
The special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina said in a statement issued in Abuja that there had been “half-truths, misinformation, and outright falsehood” Abubakar’s appointment, his Chadian citizenship and his competence having allegedly failed to pass promotion examination twice.
Adesina said until his new appointment, Abubakar was President Muhammadu Buhari’s Arabic and French interpreter.
“Some of such unfounded stories include that Abubakar had retired from the service of NIA as an assistant director, because he failed promotion examinations twice, and had to quit, willy-nilly.
“Others claim he is married to a Moroccan, and so cannot hold such sensitive security position, while others say he was born and bred in Chad, and he holds dual nationality. All these have been widely disseminated on the social and some mainstream media,” said Adesina.
He said with the formal assumption of office by Abubakar, it had become necessary to set the facts straight.
“The new NIA director general retired from the Foreign Service as a deputy director (not an assistant director) and three times during his career had won merit awards for competence and meritorious service. Failing promotion examination can only exist in the fecund minds of fiction writers.
“His last position before the new appointment was as a senior special assistant to the president on foreign affairs/international affairs where again he quietly proved himself.
“Abubakar’s parents hailed from Katsina State and had settled in Chad at a point in their lifetime.
“The new director general did his primary school in Ndjamena (then Fort-Lamy), but returned to Nigeria for his secondary and university education. He never at any time held Chadian nationality.
“Mr. Abubakar’s only wife hails from Katsina State, indeed, from the same community as the husband. The story of being married to a Moroccan can only be a tale by moonlight, concocted by people who love a fib,” he added.
Adesina stressed that President Muhammadu Buhari appointed the new NIA chief because he had worked closely with him in the past two years and sincerely believed he would add value to the NIA.
