Sub-regional forces are behind the escalating insecurity in parts of the North, the Presidency said yesterday.

Such elements aim to destabilize the country, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said during a Sunday Politics chat on Television Continental (TVC).

He however foreclosed the possibility of a cabal hijacking the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Ngelale responded to questions on the state of the economy, the effects of the activities of past government officials, the security and the multifaceted efforts of the Tinubu administration to reverse the course.

On the possibility of powerful individuals in the current administration, wielding the sort of influence that might allow them to mismanage and abuse public office, the effect of which might linger after the administration, Ngelale said “President Tinubu is not that sort of leader, explaining that the he (Tinubu) has not left room for such influence by any official to hijack his government”.

He added: “The good fortune we have is that we elected, not just a professional accountant, a professional auditor, but we elected a man who fully understands the governance mechanisms, not just at the federal level, but at sub-national level.

“I think this is a man who anyone working in the office of the President would tell you, there is not one individual in the Presidency that has a monopoly over what the President sees, hears and reads. Nobody has that kind of power in the office of this President and that’s intentional.

“He is someone who everyone has access to, everyone who needs to have access to him, has access to him. He has direct communications on a frequent basis with the heads of intelligence agencies, anti-graft agencies, and the like.

“So, there is not going to be the potential there for anyone to form a cabal around this President because he’s aware of the dynamics of what has happened in the past and he is determined to ensure that that is not replicated under his watch.

“I will also add the fact that in the person of the current CBN Governor Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, this is a man who is reputed around the world as being a prudent manager of men and resources. This is someone who has a reputation, even within the government, of being tight fisted and that is by the intention of President Bola Tinubu to have someone like that in place.

“I would also add that when you look at organizational structures that lead to Governor Emefiele, … put him in the position that he currently is in, the President has taken a comprehensive review of that structure and he has said, even by legislation, that we are going to ensure that not only guardrails are put in place, but that legislative changes be enacted in such a way that this can never happen again.

“He’s determined to do it, Nigerians will watch him do it and that will mean that moving forward, the kind of elite conspiracy we saw between CBN officials, high ranking government officials and high ranking members of the private sector, they’re not going to be able to conspire amongst themselves to find loopholes within the system because we have a president who’s an auditor and accountant, who will close those loopholes, just the way he did in Lagos State many years ago.”

On the security situation in the North, the special adviser said: “There are some sub-regional and geopolitical forces working against the stability of the country, he however noted that the government will continue working on finding solutions through collaborations”.

Given insight into the efforts being made to ensure peace and stability in all parts of the country, he said those behind insecurity, through sub-regional conspiracies, would be made to face the wrath of the law.

He said: “First of all, the President has been very clear that this is an administration of no excuses. If you look at other parts of the countries that were in flames before he took office, such as the Southeast and parts of the Southwest for example, you will know the level of work that has gone into securing our nation.

“Where we still have some challenges is in the north central in the northwest and to a lesser extent in the Northeast. There’s still a lot of work to be done along the Kaduna axis. Remember the time when you could not travel by road on the Abuja-Kaduna highway? Now, you’re able to do that.

“Now the problem is when you have these far-flung communities, we do have these hit-and-run incidences of not just violence and killings, but obviously kidnappings and hostage-taking.

“But I will say this, across the North, we understand that some of the sub-regional forces, sub-regional, geopolitical forces that are currently at play are actively conspiring against the stability of the Nigerian nation.

“We understand that and we are not sleeping on that. We are responding to it, and we’re doing it in a way that is concerned with our neighbors and it is worth noting that the United States (U.S.) government has also pledged its assistance to ensure that there is a full return of all of the school children who are kidnapped recently in Kaduna.

“But the point is, we are going to continue to intensify our collaboration, not just within the region, but internationally to make sure that some of the regional actors that are conspiring against our nation are brought to justice ultimately silenced in the future of our country”, he said.

Ngelale also confirmed that much awaited student loan scheme would be launched by President Tinubu on Thursday.

He said: “Later this week – on Thursday, the President will launch the historic National Student Loan Programme.” (The Nation: Text, Excluding Headline)

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