I read with chagrin a social media write-up captioned "RUMBLES IN DSS: CORRUPTION AND NEPOTISM IN NIGERIA'S SECRET SERVICE (DSS) AMIDST RETENTION OF MR YUSUF BICHI AS DIRECTOR GENERAL". The composition repletes with debased arguments exemplifying the very nature of our society in which many believe that to get to the top, you have to deploy all manner of character assassination to bring down the perceived stumbling block to your ambition.
As an avid reader with discerning mind, I submit with strong conviction that the writer(s) of the referenced material have strong connection with the Department of State Services (DSS). Beyond the affiliation with the secret police, the author(s) are ambitious and this is obviously the drive for the libellous literary engagement. This, I will refer to, as internal scheming within the DSS. Bichi may be sitting on the DGSS' chair, many unseen hands are holding the four legs of the chair just to pull it off him. This is not unexpected, especially at a time when his erstwhile counterparts in the military and the Police were recently sacked by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
What followed the sack of the immediate past Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) was the appointment of new ones and subsequent compulsory retirement of officers that are seniors to them. The effect of the development was the elevation of some intermediate and high-ranking officers in the affected agencies along the ladder. By this, one can easily figure out what the sponsor(s) of the write-up tend to achieve.
This is not an adventure to establish the truth or otherwise of the many infractions raised against the person of the DGSS, an argument becomes tainted and doubtful when the motive is for selfish interest. How could serious-minded individuals throw up incidents around DGSS' wife, even if they were true, as reasons for which Bichi should be removed from office. Of what national security import are the trumped up allegations against Bichi from the angle of his wife. Issues around the DGSS' wife were so over-flogged that the write-up seems to lack seriousness and credibility. It clearly shows the kind of leadership those behind the write-up will provide if given the position of the DGSS. I am sure the seat of the DGSS is not for those who are petty and blind to more serious issues of national security dimensions.
I did a quick research on the personality of the current DGSS before coming up with this. From my findings, I got to know that since his assumption of office as DGSS, Bichi has never embarked on any personal travel outside the country, he has never been seen frolicking with any politician or Chief Executive Officer in his house, no matter how highly placed. I also got to know that there is no day, including weekends, that Bichi is not seen in the office attending to official matters. Those who alleged that the helmsman had a deal with the People's Democratic Party's Presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, should have lent credence to their claim by providing evidence, same with the issue raised about his alleged lobbying with influential Emirs and Islamic clerics from the North for him to be retained by President Tinubu.
Digging further, I was educated that every DGSS is entitled to a personal house in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja or any part of the country which is financed by the Service. Two major issues raised against Bichi on which the sponsor(s) ought to have expended much more energy are those surrounding contract scams allegedly involving the DGSS' wife and his CSO as well as the alleged lopsided recruitment to favour Bichi LGA of Kano State where the DGSS comes from. I will advise the aggrieved individuals to produce indisputable evidence to substantiate their allegations. You don't just throw up such weighty issues merely to cause an uproar.
Since the assumption of office by Bichi, the level of professionalism with which the DSS has been operating is astonishing. It would not be quickly forgotten how some of his predecessors displayed high level of undemocratic procedure in carrying out the Service operations. Bichi charted a roadmap that led to the reclaiming of the Agency's glory that was on the precipice. It was unfounded that Bichi unleashed masked operatives to clamp down on media practitioners and perceived enemies.
Though I am not privy to the structure or workings of the DSS, I know that in the military, sponsor(s) of such unfounded information in order to bring down the authority are charged with mutiny. The sponsor(s) of the misleading information may have committed a similar crime. What I expect the DSS to do at this critical time is to deploy its info-tech to unmask those behind the anonymous write-ups. This is necessary in order to make them prove their allegations. It will further help to prevent the Nigerian populace from being misled by unsubstantiated reports.
It is certain that, Nigerians have become wise and may not be gullible to frivolous write-ups flying about in the social media. Most of these information are mere street talks that Nigerians will not find it difficult to unravel the truths behind them. Most importantly, the Nigerian Government should not allow such unfounded information determine its decision-making.
By Concerned Citizens Forum