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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The association of retired staff of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has hit former director of the agency, Ambassador Mohammed Dauda, for engaging in derogatory publications on the agency and its leadership.
In addition, the group, Dolphin Retired Staff Association (DRSA), expressed concern with the way and manner the retired director had gone to the public seeking adjudication in matters strictly controlled by in-service rules and regulations he had sworn to uphold while joining the service.
In a statement released by Augustine Onyenka, the association admonished Ambassador Dauda to “search his conscience and remember the oath of allegiance and official secret Act he had sworn to as it will be unprofessional of the service to engage him in fruitless polemics with him.”
The statement read: “In all modern states, such a behavioural disposition is considered as treason due to the very nature of the Service, essentially a covert role in the conduct of relations among nations. Ambassador Mohammed Dauda has engaged himself in
wild allegations which he knows very well the Service will not be able to present in the public domain.
“The Association to which retired staff of the NIA belong (according to international best practice) wants to remind Ambassador Dauda to note that the Service he claims to belong to and love so much is a disciplined one, whose guiding and directing principles are according to international best practices and must be upheld in order to prevent indiscipline at the peril of national security.
“Nigeria, therefore, is not re-inventing the wheel in this regard. Suffice it to note that even ordinary social associations/organisations have rules and regulations to which all willing members must subscribe and adhere to or risk being thrown out. Why should the NIA be an exception, given the very nature of its national duty/assignment?
The Association, therefore, urges Ambassador Dauda to search his conscience and remember the Oath of Allegiance and Official Secret Act he has sworn to as it will be unprofessional of the service to engage in fruitless polemics with him.
“Furthermore, it really does not make sense to be talking about an issue that the Director has brought before the law court and in which the court is adjudicating or giving judgment. He is reminded that his personal ambition to be Director-General should not supersede his professional calling and patriotism, even as he continues to reside outside of Nigeria.
“The association wants to appreciate the interest members of the Fourth Estate have always shown in matters of national interest but wishes to appeal to its members to seek clarification on matters impinging on National Security issues before publication. The safeguard of national security is the responsibility of us all.”
