Buhari’s New Service Chiefs: SMBLF, PANDEF, Wike, Nwodo, APC, PDP,  Groups React, Set Agenda

From Kunle Oderemi, Leon Usigbe, Taiwo Amodu, Ebenezer Adurokiya, Onyema Godwin, Muhammad Sabiu and Bola Badmus

Following the sack of erstwhile service chiefs and appointment of their replacements by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, eminent Nigerians, political parties and some groups have set agenda for the new appointees.

A statement by the presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, on Tuesday, had affirmed that the appointment of new service chiefs followed the acceptance by the president of the immediate resignation of the previous office-holders and their retirement from service.

President Buhari thanked the outgone service chiefs—General Abayomi Olonisakin, Chief of Defence Staff; Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai; Chief of Army Staff; Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas, Chief of Naval Staff and Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff—for what he called their “overwhelming achievements in our efforts at bringing enduring peace to our dear country,” while wishing them well in their future endeavours.

The new service chiefs named by the president are Major-General Leo Irabor as Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General I. Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff and Air Vice Marshal I.O. Amao, the Chief of Air Staff.

The announcement was greeted with commendations, though there were expression of reservations by some others. Sack of service chiefs belated, impunity —SMBLF The Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) described the removal of the service chiefs, at this time, as belated. According to the SMBLF, through one of its leaders, Mr Yinka Odumakin, the delay in removing the former service chiefs amounted to impunity, with no patriotic justification for keeping them in office that long. Speaking in a telephone chat with the Nigerian Tribune, Odumakin said though nothing in the list of the newly-appointed service chiefs suggested that the team was northernised, it would be puerile for anybody to set a task for it. “We know that Nigerians have no say on this matter. Buhari and his team are just making us all subservient,” Odumakin added. PANDEF lauds appointments The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), in a statement by its national publicity secretary, A. Robinson, lauded President Buhari for the new appointment, adding that though belated, the move was commendable. The group congratulated the newly-appointed service chiefs, urging them to eschew unprofessional tendencies in the discharge of their duties. “PANDEF, however, quizzes President Buhari’s plaudits on the outgone service chiefs, given their evident failure to deliver on their various mandates, amidst worsening state of insecurity in the country,” the statement said. Buhari should be commended for listening to people’s voice —Wike Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State said though the new appointments came late, President Buhari should be commended for listening to the voice of the people. He challenged the new servic chiefs to see their appointments as an opportunity to re-engineer the nation’s security architecture which had suffered setback in the last five years. “The new service chiefs should not politicise security by aligning with politicians. What the country needs now is competence and professionalism that will reduce insecurity to the barest minimum,” he stated. Nwodo carpets Buhari for leaving out Igbo in new appointments Erstwhile president-general of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, expressed disappointment that President Buhari showed marginalisation of the Igbo in the appointment of new service chiefs. He expressed the reservation in a text message sent to the Nigerian Tribune, barely hours after news filtered through on the sack of the hitherto service chiefs and their replacement with new ones. “General Buhari, thanks for making us in Igboland feel, once more, that we are not fit to head any of the security services,” Nwodo said. Initiate strategy to end insecurity, Reps task new service chiefs Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Army, Honourable Abdulrasak Namdas, urged the new service chiefs to immediately draw a new and comprehensive strategy that would curb the growing insurgency and banditry in the country. Namdas expressed optimism that with the new appointments, the morale in the military will be boosted and there will be an improvement in security. “The president and former service chiefs have responded to the call of the people. The Senate and the House of Representatives had, at different times, passed resolutions calling for a change in the service chiefs. Mr President has just listened to the counsel of the Nigerian people. “We thank the service chiefs for resigning and especially President Buhari for accepting their resignation and promptly appointing new service chiefs to hit the ground running,” he stated. New service chiefs need our support, APC tells Nigerians The All Progressives Congress (APC), in a statement signed by its national secretary, Senator John Akpan Udoedehe, asked Nigerians to give the new service chiefs the needed support to carry out their constitutional role. It also called for a better synergy among the armed forces to achieve set tasks. “We are confident that the new service chiefs will consolidate on the remarkable achievements of their predecessors in keeping the country safe and peaceful. “The party calls for public support for the new service chiefs as they perform their constitutional roles of protecting our country’s territorial integrity and tackle emerging security threats. We also urge increased synergy among the armed forces in achieving these tasks,” the statement read. PDP demands probe of ex-service chiefs The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) called for the probe of the predecessors of the new service chiefs who, it posited, did damage to the security of the country. In a statement signed by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the main opposition party described the appointment of new service chiefs as rather late in the day. The party said if President Buhari had acted when it, along with other well-meaning Nigerians, including the two chambers of the National Assembly, impressed it upon him to do so, the security situation in the country would not have degenerated to this level. It tasked the new service chiefs, saying that Nigerians are looking up to them as professionals to remove terrorists, bandits and other outlaws ravaging the nation from its landscape. CNG wants Nigeria’s forests, highways, sea secured The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) described the decision of President Buhari to accede to demands for the replacement of the service chiefs as a step towards addressing the shortfalls in policing and security institutions. In a statement issued by its spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, it, however, advised the president to reassert himself as the commander-in-chief and reclaim the forests, highways and sea. It also admonished the president, as a military General, to reassert himself by taking direct control of the fight to secure the nation and to finally reclaim all that had been lost to insurgents, other armed criminals and assortment of militants in various guises. PAACA tasks service chiefs The Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA), through its Executive Director, Comrade Ezenwa Nwagwu, has urged Nigerians to limit their expectations of the new service chiefs, noting that they were not imported from Mars. It, however, tasked the new team to, in the immediate, tame insurgency and tackle kidnapping, banditry and violent crimes, in order to restore the confidence of Nigerians in the country’s security.