An archive photo of NIA Director-General, Ambassador Ahmed Abubakar. Image Credit: Femi Adesina via Facebook
Ahmed Abubakar Resigns as NIA Director General, Cites Personal and Family Reasons
Ahmed Abubakar, the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), submitted his resignation to President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Saturday.
Speaking to journalists after his meeting with President Tinubu, Abubakar explained that his decision to step down was driven by personal and family matters. “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,” he shared.
He emphasized that his resignation was amicable and that he had a constructive discussion with the President, who understood his reasons. “I discussed with Mr. President, he understood very well, and I promised to remain steadfast with issues and the security situations of the country,” Abubakar added.
Abubakar expressed his gratitude to President Tinubu for allowing him to serve during the first 15 months of the new administration, reflecting on his tenure that began in 2018.
“After the briefing, I tendered my resignation and Mr. President graciously approved and accepted the resignation. I thanked him for giving me the opportunity to serve Nigeria under his transformational leadership for an extended period of 15 months, which is very rare,” he said.
Abubakar’s resignation followed what he described as a routine briefing with the President at the Villa. Initially appointed as the NIA DG in 2018 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, his tenure was extended in December 2021.
At 71 years old, Abubakar, a retired career foreign service officer from Katsina State, has had a distinguished career in public service.
He joined the security department of the Nigerian Foreign Service in 1993 and served as Senior Special Assistant to the President on International Relations and Foreign Affairs in 2015.
He is an alumnus of Bayero University in Kano, holding bachelor’s and master’s degrees in French, and is fluent in English and Arabic.
