Ahmed Abubakar has explained his reasons for resigning as the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). He submitted his resignation letter to President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja on Saturday.
After a brief meeting, Abubakar shared that personal and family issues were part of his reasons for stepping down.
Despite his resignation, he expressed gratitude to the President for the opportunity to serve during the first 15 months of the new administration, having held the position since 2018.
When asked why he resigned, Abubakar said, “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 steadfast with issues and the security situations of the country.”
Abubakar said he resigned after visiting the President for a routine briefing at the Villa.
“It’s a routine thing, from time to time, to brief Mr. President on situations, on issues, and today is no exception.”
“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 was first appointed DG of the NIA in 2018 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who extended his stay in office in December 2021
Before his appointment in 2018, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, a retired career Foreign Service officer, served as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and International Relations.
Abubakar has extensive experience working with the United Nations in peace support operations, mediation processes, preventive diplomacy, and promoting good governance, respect for the rule of law, and human rights.
