National Security Alert: Why SSS screened Ministerial-nominees

*How 30 nominees were cleared

By Jide AJANI

Consequent upon misgivings in some quarters over the propriety of the State Security Service, SSS, screening being carried out on ministerial nominees, Vanguard can reveal that the security agency is statutorily empowered to carry out the screening.

Vanguard has been able to obtain a decree, tagged “SSS Instrument Number One, an amended version of the National Security Agencies Decree of 1986, Cap 278, Law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Section 2, Sub-Section 3”.

Vanguard also gathered from very dependable security sources that one of the functions of SSS is the vetting of prospective appointees to public offices in the country.

Information available to Vanguard also suggests that in the last days of then military head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubabar, this law was amended.

The amendment done by Gen. Abubakar was with a view to further strengthening the national security requirement of any prospective public office appointee.

The amendment was carried out on May 23, 1999, as the National Security Agencies Decree.

A source also informed Vanguard that one of the requirements of the Senate before calling any nominee for clearance by that chamber of the National Assembly is a security report emanating from the screening carried out on such a nominee.

This has also become very necessary, Vanguard was told, “because of the national; security implications and allegiance of any prospective appointee.”

By the same token, except otherwise cleared after going to press, Vanguard can reveal that only 30 ministerial nominees among the expected 42 have been cleared by SSS yet.

In fact, the sequence of clearing the nominees by SSS, it was learnt, was such that President Goodluck Jonathan sent the names in batches, thereby allowing the security agency to carry out a  thorough screening of the nominees.

Vanguard gathered that penultimate Friday evening, the list of the first set of nominees cleared was sent to Aso Rock Presidential Villa.

Only 11 nominees were cleared as at that time.

The Office of the Chief of Staff, it  was gathered, received the list from the security agency.

Same day, another list of 20 nominees was sent to SSS for security screenning.
However, according to information made available to Vanguard, one of the names on the list of 20 was dropped.

The name was dropped on the orders of Presidennt Jonathan, reducing the nominees to 19.

The 19 were, thereafter, cleared by SSS, bringing the total number of cleared nominees to 30.

By last Friday, a fresh list of 12 nominees were forwarded to SSS from the President.

It was further learnt that the “thinking in the Presidency and the directorate of SSS is  that the names, coming in batches do not affect anything.  The number of those who have been cleared as at the weekend would not in any way affect the issue of Senate clearance for the nominees. 

Since there is no way the Senate can clear all the 30 nominees that have scaled the security screening in one day, the remaining 12  nominees can always be sent to the Senate later”, a source said.

Names of the nominees who have scaled the security clearance are expected to be presented to the senate for screeening today