AFTER over six years in office, the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, has resigned from his position, submitting his resignation to President Bola Tinubu.
Abubakar presented his resignation after a routine briefing with the president at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Saturday.
Appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2018, Abubakar, a retired Foreign Service officer, previously served as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and International Relations before becoming the NIA DG.
He also briefly served as a Senior Adviser at the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in Ndjamena, Chad, prior to his role as SSAP.
Regarding his resignation, Abubakar stated that President Tinubu had graciously accepted his decision, citing multiple reasons for stepping down.
When asked about the purpose of his visit to the Presidential Villa, Abubakar said,
“It’s a routine thing from time to time to brief Mr. President on situations, on issues, today is not an exception.
“After the briefing, actually, I tendered my resignation and Mr. President graciously approved and accepted the resignation.”
Pressed for the reasons behind his resignation, the former NIA DG explained, “There are quite a number of reasons one will do that, some personal family issues, but nothing very serious, actually, and the friendship will continue.
“I discussed with Mr. President, he understood very well, and I promised to remain engaged with issues and the security situations of the country.”
He expressed his gratitude to President Tinubu for the opportunity to serve under two administrations.
