Former Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura, has blamed some of the challenges that confronted the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari on people who, despite enjoying his trust, allegedly failed to live up to expectations.
Daura made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, aired on Monday.
The former intelligence chief argued that Buhari’s experience highlighted the risks of allowing personal relationships and loyalty to influence appointments to sensitive government positions without giving sufficient consideration to competence and capacity.
According to Daura, Buhari surrounded himself with people he trusted, but some of those individuals eventually betrayed the confidence placed in them.
He said he was aware of the activities of some people he described as sycophants, adding that he knew details of actions he believed contributed to the administration’s difficulties.
Daura, however, rejected claims that he was part of a powerful cabal that controlled access to Buhari or influenced decisions within the government.
“No, there is no cabal,” he said.
He explained that his close access to Buhari was a natural consequence of his position as the nation’s intelligence chief, which required him to remain close to the president and stay informed about developments affecting national security.
Daura also defended Buhari’s record against those who have described his eight-year administration as one of the worst periods in Nigeria’s political history.
He urged critics to assess the former president’s tenure within the wider political history of the country, particularly the period between 1995 and Buhari’s exit from office in 2023.
The former DSS boss, who is now the vice-presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, said he remained loyal to Buhari throughout his tenure and believed he played a role in protecting the administration.
Daura further claimed that the government’s fortunes began to decline after his departure from office in 2018.
He stressed that the problem was not necessarily that Buhari’s trusted associates intentionally misled him, but that some people given important responsibilities failed to match the level of trust placed in them.
For Daura, the lesson for future administrations is clear: political leaders should not confuse personal trust with professional competence.
He advised leaders to carefully consider an individual’s character, ability and capacity before assigning them sensitive responsibilities, arguing that trusted associates should only be appointed to positions that match their skills and experience.
According to him, while trust is important in governance, it must be balanced with competence to prevent appointments from becoming a liability to the administration.
