Some personnel in the nation’s Armed Forces
are apprehensive of a likely friction between the
new Minister of Defence, Brig-Gen. Monsur Dan-
Ali (rtd) and the current service chiefs, since he
is their junior in military hierarchy and order of
seniority.
It is feared that this friction in their working
relationship will become inevitable should Dan-
Ali attempt to assert his authority over the
service chiefs. Misgivings have already been
expressed in military circles over the seeming
confrontational and controversial manner with
which the Defence Minister resumed in office.
It would be recalled that Dan-Ali last week
reopened the old wounds when he openly
castigated the immediate past Chief of Army
Staff, COAS, Lt-Gen. Kenneth Minimah (rtd) and
the Nigerian Army for the manner they handled
President Muhammadu Buhari’s West African
Examinations Certificate, WAEC, scandal.
“Where is your integrity when your own Chief of
Army Staff (Minimah) stood up and say his
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
(Buhari) has no WAEC. How? Please let us be
sincere with ourselves. Because you should
have stood up and said no, because you are
there you cannot. If you leave the job, is it the
end of your life. If you leave the job there are
other ways, better ways God can bless your life,”
he had reportedly said.
One of the inside sources, who expressed these
concerns to ThisDay that “this (the above
statement) smacks of braggadocio,” said this is
the first time a Minister of Defence with military
background would have to issue
(administrative) directives and orders to his
superiors (the service chiefs).
The source explained that Dan-Ali, who retired
two years ago, was a Short Course Service
equivalent to the Nigerian Defence Academy
(NDA) Regular Course 31, while the COAS, Lt-
Gen. Tukur Buratai, who is the youngest among
the service chiefs is from the Regular Course 29.
“He retired barely two years ago, in 2013, when
the services chiefs were major-generals then.
He is of the Short Service Course, equivalent to
the NDA 31st Regular Course and the present
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is of the 25th
Regular Course. So you can see the gap, and
the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) is of the 26th
Regular Course, the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) who
also came through the Air Short Service is
equivalent of the 26 to 27th Course. Then the
COAS who is the most junior among the current
service chiefs, is even of 28th Course. So you
can imagine that they are all senior to this new
minister,” the newspaper was told.
Another senior officer expressed doubt if the
Defence Minister can equal the sterling
experience and intellectual capacity of the
service chiefs most of whom were directing staff
at one time or the other in different military
institutions.
The source wondered if the minister would have
the courage and professional grounds to reject
advice from the service chiefs, “and being their
junior, how will the service chiefs react if their
advice are being discarded by the minister.”
Meanwhile, the officer noted, “you can recall
that when they asked him during the ministerial
screening about his performance when at the
Bangladesh Staff College, where he had no
grades and he responded that it was not
compulsory.
“So that’s the new minister of Defence for you,
one who could not defend his course and
performance. I see him he is not going to last
because the people he is dealing with, have
high level of intellectual framework. They are all
directing staffs either in War College or Armed
Forces Command and Staff College. Some were
even Directors in Defence College,” the source
stressed.
Also, another officer further explained to the
publication that: “The fear is that President
Muhammadu Buhari wanted to bring down the
service chiefs to the 31st Course before he
appointed this present minister but people had
to intervene because the rate of retirement is so
high.
“That was why he had to stop at 29th Course,
but now that he is bringing in a 31st course
equivalent, is it possible that he wants these
ones to resign out of frustration or annoyance.
This is because if the CDS happens to write a
letter to this minister, who ordinarily is his
junior and he cancels it, he may react and not
take it lightly. You know in the armed forces our
junior officers give their utmost respect. So will
these ones now be telling their junior sir. When
you see him, he want to force talk in order to
assert his authority, I can see a man struggling
to get loyalty from his military seniors.”
“The limitations are many, one most of the
service chiefs will not feel comfortable working
with him. So there might likely be friction
because a leader will not want a subordinate to
give the impression that they are better than
him. So that is an area of friction because these
men may not be able to give him directly the
proper interpretation of things. We are in a
quagmire, I am telling you.”

http://dailypost.ng/2015/11/16/military-seniority-tension-over-likely-clash-between-defence-minister-service-chiefs/

Our wahala plenty. If they are not willing to serve under him, they should resign.

.

"Lubbish" post from a jobless speculator.
Where's my raayah?

But PMB knows about all these and he still decided to field a Junior officer as Defense minister. Something has to be done fast as a result of necessity.

GboyegaD:
Our wahala plenty. If they are not willing to serve under him, they should resign.

unless that was the plan all along it doesn't work that way. even though appointment supersedes seniority he needs to handle it with tact.

If they like make them kill themselves..

E no go affect price of Garri or bring back our gals..

If there is passion for Service all these seniority matter will be a non issue

Power tussle. The Defence Minister will certainly top in this scenario. His authority flows directly from the Presidency. Plainly put, he acts in the capacity of the President in overseeing our military operations. Any service chief whose ego is overblown should deflate it quickly or simply sign off quietly! Case dismissed!

It is not for the service chiefs to resign, bubu goofed by appointing a junior officer to head his seniors and more experienced officers in the military hairachy.

Only in Nigeria you see such a lopsided appointment, a country of anything goes. Smh!

Help me thank GOD for life ooo.. Today boy done turn man(not daddy o).. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me, GOD bless my new age.. I know u guys are CAPABLE, somebody should surprise me with gift... If u no fit send cheque abeg I go need ur connections to any soccer scout/agent.. Thank you..
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Nwa nne show the boy some love kwanu..
Osanobua brought me this Far

There's nothing there if they really want to work for the good of this country...

After all during GEJ era the NSA wasn't a General and Jonathan used him more than the Minister Aliyu Gusau and the service Chiefs respected him...

Corruption in the military needs to be tackled.

Hadn't been Abdulrahman Dambazzau was made the Minister of Defence, I'm sure these journalists wouldn't have seen something of such to publish. Anyway, Buhari understands why he made Dan Ali the Minister of Defence instead of Dambazzau.

#MeNoBelieveThisInfoSha

mikolo80:
unless that was the plan all along it doesn't work that way. even though appointment supersedes seniority he needs to handle it with tact.

It is a choice ooo. They either follow his instructions or resign. I wonder when people will learn to accept things they have no control over.

The defence minister should retire 1 or 2 of his so called seniors so that other will know he means business and he is now their senior, if they know he is no nonsense those who a clever will show loyalty.

Never outshine your master according to laws of power.

Is God that gives position

We are in democracy; the service chiefs should obey civilian authority or resign. All that is required to be commander-in-chief according to Nigerian constitution is a school leaving certificate. And that C-in-C is to issue orders to service chiefs and all security apparatus.

donphilopus:
Hadn't been Abdulrahman Dambazzau was made the Minister of Defence, I'm sure this journalists wouldn't have seen something of such to publish. Anyway, Buhari understands why he made Dan Ali the Minister of Defence instead of Dambazzau.

#MeNoBelieveThisInfoSha

That's cos it's against ya party that's why you won't believe

has d new ''i too sabi defence minister'' locate buari's waec certificate

GboyegaD:


It is a choice ooo. They either follow his instructions or resign. I wonder when people will learn to accept things they have no control over.

o boy leave dat thing o. you don't play with army morale like dat. they know how to 'strike ' better than any labor union once you insult them, they take it personal. minimah is a case in point. morale dropped in the army when 12 of his seniors were retired because of favouritism and tribalism. not easy to toy with merit where life and death is concerned. soldiers Will never follow an incompetent into battle.

it's even better in peace time.
now that Boko is on the lose
na to just allow them de bomb Abuja and daura anyhow anyhow
the message Will be gotten.
more than one way to skin a cat

the journalists who wrote this article have no sense at all and should be ashamed of themselves . are they saying if Dan Ali had become the president there will be issues with the military top brass as they "cannot" take orders from their junior who is now C in C? what arrant nonsense.

By virtue of the office Dan Ali holds he is superior to them and they are to take orders from him. Even if Buhari appointed a retired coporal to be defence minister it's non of their business, they are to respect that office irrespective of who is there .

mikolo80:
o boy leave dat thing o. you don't play with army morale like dat. they know how to 'strike ' better than any labor union once you insult them, they take it personal. minimah is a case in point. morale dropped in the army when 12 of his seniors were retired because of favouritism and tribalism. not easy to toy with merit where life and death is concerned. soldiers Will never follow an incompetent into battle.

it's even better in peace time.
now that Boko is on the lose
na to just allow them de bomb Abuja and daura anyhow anyhow
the message Will be gotten.
more than one way to skin a cat

What morale are you referring to? Is anyone bigger than an institution? I still maintain "whoever is not comfortable with the minister should resign". Fact remains that a Ministerial position is a political appointment and once whoever is appointed meets the minimum criterion required, then he is fit to be in the position.

GboyegaD:


What morale are you referring to? Is anyone bigger than an institution? I still maintain "whoever is not comfortable with the minister should resign". Fact remains that a Ministerial position is a political appointment and once whoever is appointed meets the minimum criterion required, then he is fit to be in the position.

the minister is not bigger than the 'institution ' of the army
I am telling you that human beings are not machines
if you mistreat them (humiliation) they treat your fuckup
would you take orders from your junior in your office

a woman insulted her driver and she cannot drive
he left her stranded in the middle of nowhere
she doesn't insult drivers anymore
you mistreat your bakers and they will mix your dough and abandon it and you

you mistreat soldiers during war and you will get shot in the back
your choice

mikolo80:
the minister is not bigger than the 'institution ' of the army
I am telling you that human beings are not machines
if you mistreat them (humiliation) they treat your fuckup
would you take orders from your junior in your office

a woman insulted her driver and she cannot drive
he left her stranded in the middle of nowhere
she doesn't insult drivers anymore
you mistreat your bakers and they will mix your dough and abandon it and you

you mistreat soldiers during war and you will get shot in the back
your choice

There's no mistreatment here. It would be a mistreatment if a civilian was appointed to the post or someone who never rose through the ranks. In every profession(institution), there is a rank you get to from which you can head the profession (institution).

GboyegaD:


There's no mistreatment here. It would be a mistreatment if a civilian was appointed to the post or someone who never rose through the ranks. In every profession(institution), there is a rank you get to from which you can head the profession (institution).

they don't mind a civilian but a junior is the ultimate humiliation. I used to be one of them so I can talk with some authority. strangers we can handle, but subordinates Will not work

it's like making nurse health minister
what rank are you talking about
once my army number pass yours you're my junior till death

mikolo80:
they don't mind a civilian but a junior is the ultimate humiliation. I used to be one of them so I can talk with some authority. strangers we can handle, but subordinates Will not work

it's like making nurse health minister
what rank are you talking about
once my army number pass yours you're my junior till death

Then it is a personal issue you should deal with and I'm not sure everyone will deal with it in same way.

GboyegaD:


Then it is a personal issue you should deal with and I'm not sure everyone will deal with it in same way.

wanna bet. ask any regular officer,not short service
any officer, and come back after asking ten. tell me ratio of yes to no

Hmmm k

mikolo80:
wanna bet. ask any regular officer,not short service
any officer, and come back after asking ten. tell me ratio of yes to no

Are those who come in through short service not officers

GboyegaD:


Are those who come in through short service not officers

hence the modifier,' regular',
you're a civilian
you won't understand
suffice to say, levels de
some officers are more equal than others

mikolo80:
hence the modifier,' regular',
you're a civilian
you won't understand
suffice to say, levels de
some officers are more equal than others

I hear you. Keep basking in your self elevation.

GboyegaD:


I hear you. Keep basking in your self elevation.

like I said, you won't understand.