Buhari was betrayed by sycophants — Lawal Daura

Former Director-General of the Department of State Services, Lawal Daura, has defended the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, blaming some people around the former president for taking advantage of his trust.

Daura, who is the Allied Peoples Movement vice-presidential candidate, made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today aired on Monday.

He rejected claims that Buhari’s administration was the worst in Nigeria’s history, urging critics to compare its record with developments between 1995 and 2023 before reaching such a conclusion.

Daura said his position as intelligence chief required him to maintain close contact with Buhari and protect the administration, adding that he remained committed to the former president throughout his tenure as DSS director-general.

“Yes, they can say it, but I also want them, the real students of history, to go back from 1995 to 2023, when he exited, and find out which were the worst years. I wasn’t part of the government then,” he said.

“And that will show you that I stood by him and I protected that government. Everything started to give way after 2018 since I left office.”

The former intelligence chief also dismissed suggestions that he belonged to a powerful group, popularly referred to as a “cabal”, that allegedly controlled Buhari’s government.

“No, there is no cabal,” Daura said.

He explained that the nature of his responsibilities as DSS director-general meant he had to remain close to the president, making it inappropriate to describe him as part of any political inner circle.

“Even if there was a cabal, the intelligence chief of a country can never be part of a cabal because the schedule I handled made it necessary for me to be close to the president at all times,” he said.

Daura, however, acknowledged that individuals around Buhari whom he described as sycophants betrayed the confidence the former president placed in them.

He said they did not necessarily mislead Buhari but abused the trust and responsibilities entrusted to them.

The former DSS boss said one major lesson from the administration was the danger of allowing personal relationships to influence appointments to sensitive government positions.

According to him, friendship or loyalty to an individual should not be treated as proof of competence or suitability for public office.

He argued that even when a trusted associate is considered for an appointment, the person’s qualifications, competence and suitability for the particular position must be carefully assessed.

Daura said Buhari’s administration eventually suffered because some individuals were given responsibilities primarily on the basis of trust without sufficient consideration of whether they were suitable for the offices.

“And even if you are to do that, you must also weigh the quality of that person and then maybe place him in an office that befits him or is proportionate to maybe the level of trust you have in that person,” he said.

“But in that situation, an unfortunate situation, I would say, it so happened that people were just, you know, trusted.”