The recent onslaught on the military by Boko Haram insurgents has compelled vocal Nigerians to call for the immediate sack of service chiefs to enable the government infuse fresh blood and ideas into the system, especially the anti-terrorism military campaign.

Those who spoke with Daily Independent on Sunday decried the ceaseless killings going on in the country, saying the development had reached a point where the country’s security chiefs could no longer justify their stay in office.

There have been cries over the killing of over 70 soldiers of the 157 Task Force Battalion in Melete, Borno State, by invading Boko Haram insurgents. Many of the soldiers were also injured while some undisclosed numbers were still missing.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said President Buhari must wake up to his responsibility as the commander-in-chief of the Nigerian armed forces by reviewing his parade.

Speaking in a chat with our correspondent, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, said it was high time President Buhari exercised his powers as the country’s commander-in-chief by rejigging the country’s security architecture.

He said: “Our position on this issue has been very clear. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has regularly challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to review his parade. In military terms, what that means is that he should rejig his command.

“He should act as the commander-in-chief and rejig his command. What the PDP has always asked for is that the president should urgently review his parade and we believe he knows what that means.”

Similarly, Yinka Odumakin, National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, told Daily Independent that the service chiefs should be removed immediately as they were of no use except if the Federal Government decided to keep them because of the 2019 elections.

“Except keeping them for the 2019 elections, there is no use for their stay as they are killing the morale of officers who should have moved up in the various services. They should be removed immediately,” he said.

On his part, Dr. Jay Osi-Samuels, National Chairman of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), said Nigeria’s military would continue to suffer embarrassing losses from insurgents if the entire military apparatus was not overhauled and the service chiefs sacked.

According to him, “The service chiefs have long overstayed. They are overdue for retirement. Based on what is happening right now and what has been happening, they should be fired.

“A serious-minded commander-in-chief should have fired these people a long time ago.

“But more importantly, the entire security architecture of Nigeria needs to be rejigged because we cannot continue doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

“So, I believe that the service chiefs should be sacked now and a complete overhaul of our military architecture done.

“These people are just there marking time. The so-called system that we have in Nigeria whereby the time you rise through the ranks to become the chief of army, air or naval staff, you have about two or less years to retirement.

“It doesn’t augur well for our system because for any person at the helm of affairs in that kind of establishment, you have to meaningful impact and have reforms implemented, you need to be there for a minimum of four years or maximum of five years.

“When you get to that position and you have less than two years to retire, it becomes a retirement posting.

“What they do is how to amass wealth for their retirement. What you see is that they begin to carry out procurement of equipment that is not needed.

“If you have the privilege of going to the military warehouse, you will see that equipment that were procured 30 years ago are still in their crates, they are not opened because of this policy because the person who purchases them does so to make gains.

“By the time another person is appointed, he also wants to make gain and the cycle goes on and on. So, there is no continuity.

“But if we can rejig the whole system where people get there by merit and you know that you have five years as minimum to spend, then you can begin to put plans in place to ensure that there is an overhaul of the military.

“If we continue with the status quo, our military will continue to suffer from this embarrassing loss and families will suffer because of the incompetence of our military leaders and, of course, the president.”

Over 40 opposition parties under the umbrella of Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) on Sunday also described as worrisome, the resurgence of Boko Haram attacks and killing of over seventy soldiers at a military base in Melete, Borno State.

The CUPP in a statement on Sunday by its Spokesman, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, called on President Buhari to sack service chiefs; the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris; Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, and the Comptroller-General of Customs.

The Coalition said they should be sacked on the grounds that they were at one time or another allegedly found playing politics with their offices instead of doing their official assignments with a high level of neutrality.

The CUPP said increased attacks by elements of the Boko Haram and ISWAP on military facilities in the North East was a national embarrassment which needed to be stopped.

Part of the statement reads: “From the attack in Jili in July where we reportedly lost over 200 soldiers to Zari in August, Mainok and Kekeno and now Melete, this is one attack too many.

“We hereby call on President Buhari to salvage the last vestiges of honour left for his regime by immediately sacking the service chiefs, the Inspector General of Police, Chairman of the EFCC, and Comptroller-General of Customs.

“This action will both raise the morale of our troops in the fronts that there are consequences for commanders who fail them and also give Nigerians and the international community the confidence that heads of security agencies will be neutral during the fast approaching general elections where the president and his party are headed for defeat.

“A government that cannot fulfil the basic essence of governance as enshrined in section 14 of the 1999 constitution which is the protection of lives and property of its citizens, has completely failed and must be shown the way out using the power of the ballot come February 16, 2019.”

https://www.independent.ng/boko-haram-attack-on-soldiers-sack-service-chiefs-now-buhari-urged/

Buhari will rather all the soldiers in the North East die than sack his political associates (service chiefs) who are heavily funding his campaign with war funds.

How do u expect him to sack ready made 2019 election mercenaries.

May God put an end to all calamitous situation bedevilling this country now.


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baliyubla:
Buhari will rather all the soldiers in the North East die than sack his political associates (service chiefs) who are heavily funding his campaign with war funds.

Gbam...

He is only interested in the money