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….concluding part
Here is the concluding part of the interview we had with the Director
General State Services, Mr. AA Gadzama, OFR, mni, which was first
featured in the maiden edition of the Triple S. This session is quite
revealing. Enjoy yourself.
TS: Sir, how has the journey been one and half years after your
appointment?
DG SS: You will recall in the earlier interview with you, I stated that
our mission and major challenge are restoration and taking the Service to
the Next Level. Such a goal will definitely take a long time to achieve
simply because correcting the distractions, the distortions and digressions
of over twenty years will take a long time. But let me say that, daunting as
the challenges are, we have been able to, by the grace of God and the
understanding of Mr. President and the support of other stakeholders in the
National Security Establishment, met the expectations and the targets we set
ourselves.
TS: Can you talk of specific areas where exceptional achievements were
made?
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absence of this, incidentally, was the bane of our previous efforts. I happen
to know that credible/critical intelligence drives the entire security
intelligence process. You can hardly succeed in any aspect of the job
without the required intelligence. I also believe that having intelligence that
explains the fundamentals or the deeper causative factors of happenings is
essential for effective security management. This is what the security
component of the Seven Point Agenda is all about. It is not about regime
protection. It is about security for the citizenry, security for the environment
and vital national resources and the protection of the country’s sovereignty
in all ramifications.
TS: The rehabilitation of the Training Schools is one area that seems to
have attracted your attention. How have you coped with the challenge?
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DG SS: I was compelled to focus on the rehabilitation and upgrading of
the Training Schools because as observed earlier, the prevailing security
environment is not only competitive but has become more challenging. As a
result, only a well exposed and well grounded operative can be effective.
Beside, the Training Schools are some of the impressive legacies
bequeathed on subsequent leadership by our founding fathers. Mark you,
some of us also passed through these schools in the 70s and 80s and knew
what exactly they were. To have neglected the schools all these years and to
treat the schools as if they were a liability is to me a mark of lack of
foresight and of deficient leadership. I, today, look back with satisfaction on
the tremendous achievements we have for example made by redeveloping
the Institute for Security Studies. I am convinced that the Institute will
remain the flagship and the first Institute in the country offering
professional security studies at degree level.
TS: So much is being said on how you were able to transform the Institute
for Security Studies into one of the best Security Institutes in the country.
What is the secret?
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one’s quota. We are proud of our contribution to the realization of Mr.
President’s vision for the country.
TS: Many, within and outside the Service, have attributed the giant strides
you have made in the last one and half years to your being an insider who
knows the system inside out and who knows where the shoe pinches. What
is your comment?
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TS: It is said that the major shift and preoccupation of the Service now is
the acquisition of critical intelligence. What really does this entail?
DG SS: I have before now, noted that our major preoccupation is that
of restoring the Service to its original mandate and character. The
Government when it formed the defunct NSO never intended that it should
be another Police Force. On the contrary, the thinking was that the new
Organization then was to be a civilian Intelligence Service committed to
protecting the security of the State in all its ramifications. The
preoccupation with arrests, detention and related excesses over successive
years was therefore an aberration encouraged by the powers that be. The
restoration process is about going back to the original mandate. This is
about the Service quietly providing valued information that could be used to
serve the interest of the State. The Service is there to serve the people
through the Government of the day and not protecting a regime.
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saying is the critical intelligence we give the Government at all levels are
responsible for the decisions and actions of consumers that impact on the
life of the citizenry.
TS: What, in your view, are the problems of State Security Management
today?
DG SS: I will say the first problem has to do with understanding what
State Security entails. It is surprising that even persons in positions of
leadership who are consumers of our products and services don’t
understand that State Security is not synonymous with simple crime and the
Service is not another Police Force. There is also the problem of pretenders
and those who think security management is an all comer’s affairs. The
business is both a science and an art that is better discharged when you
acquire certain specialized skills and knowledge. No wonder we have
people peddling gossips and imaginations, as intelligence or security
reports.
The other problem is about capacity. This business is about
professionally sourcing valued information and the prompt deployment of
such information for attainment of specific objectives. Lack of the skill and
means at any stage of this circle could undermine all efforts.
TS: What do you have to say to Officers and Men of the Service?
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DG SS: They should remain focused and committed to redeeming the
pledge I made at the time I took over the mantle of leadership. This is the
commitment of taking the Service to the Next Level. The huge support,
patience and understanding have been the source of our success. I urge all
personnel to continue to give their support. I also want to say that what I
am doing is not about myself but about the Service and the country. Finally,
the year, 2009, by our estimation, will be very challenging due to the
convergence of global and domestic dynamics and stress. This requires
rededication and commitment on the part of all of us. This is my only
appeal to the personnel. Thank you.
N/B
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