The National Security Adviser (NSA) from 2015 to 2023 said the cabal withheld some cash allocated for the office under Babagana Monguno.
Monguno stated this in ‘From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari’.
Charles Omole’s biography of the late president was launched at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday.
Monguno recounted his experience in office and how it influenced national security in the book, Daily Trust reported.
He blamed a recommendation based on intelligence from the Presidential air fleet commander.
He said the commander of the presidential air fleet worried that the fleet supplier was under investigation and could pose a security danger if prosecuted.
Based on this, he wrote to Buhari and advised a supplier change, which the president authorized.
Monguno claimed the development revealed presidential interests.
He claimed that the late President’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, first asked him, “Why did you do this?”
Monguno said Buhari’s nephew, Mamman Daura, was upset by the decision, calling it an injustice to the fuel supplier.
Even with Buhari’s assent, the Finance Minister, loyal to Mamman Daura, was co-opted to withhold NSA payments. The Cabal that enriched themselves beyond measure victimized Buhari and Nigerians, he claimed.
He said that underfunding the NSA office undermined national security and blinded the government.
Monguno said his predecessor’s funding were gone and crucial system subscriptions and technical collaborations with international organizations had expired.
He stated the Villa’s monitoring infrastructure was funded by the NSA, but approvals to update it were constantly delayed.
Even when Buhari approved the nomination, Monguno said a gatekeeper’s note discredited it.
He said, “You do not need a conspiracy to weaken a system; you only need petty sabotage repeated often enough.”
As previously reported, Aisha, widow of the late president, recounted her experiences in the book.
The former First Lady said Presidential Villa rumors caused her late husband think she wanted to hurt him.
She said it disturbed his feeding regimen and contributed to his 2017 health issue that kept him out of office for months.
Mrs. Buhari said rumor and fear mongering in Aso Rock temporarily strained her relationship with the president, according to the book.
She said it made him lock his room and skip meals.
A meticulously planned feeding schedule was disrupted, the former first lady stated, causing his illness.
Mrs. Buhari said she had personally supervised Buhari’s food and supplements for years to support his health.
This is due to his chronic dietary struggles. Buhari’s diseases were not strange nor poisonous, she said.
The book alleged that after moving from Kaduna to the Presidential Villa, official handlers took over Buhari’s feeding schedule, causing delays, missed meals, and supplement discontinuation.
In the book, Aisha says the president didn’t eat lunch for nearly a year, which debilitated him.
Mrs. Buhari said in the book that an atmosphere of mistrust in the presidency, including surveillance and tapping of private talks, caused worry in his final years.
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