fergie001:
It's not about picking a COAS from your Zone, you have to pick someone that has control of the Army. Someone that has CAPACITY (in Asari Dokubo's voice)

The NW/NE have more people in the Army and they will breathe down on anyone who is not from their Zone. They frustrated Ihejirika out, his Petition was in the ICJ at some time.

No go rush pick your brother wey no get capacity, you will still become exposed. When he wanted re-election, he threw out Ihejirika, next he threw out his own brother, the late Azazi as NSA.

If your brother has a firm control in the Army, I mean entrenched fine, but if he isn't, there will be a revolt from within. Go and even check the names of Maj-Gens and co.... You will understand better , you need them for stability first before your eyes go reach ground.

lhordspy:


Two mistakes.

Firstly. In the DIG rank. Mba has many seniors ahead of him. so making Mba IGP will automatically retire those guys. So him staying as AIG before appointment as IG and him being a DIG before appointment is still same. Lot of DiGs will retire. The only thing that can save Mba too is if he is appointed as IG. Anything other than that is retirement in few weeks for him.

Secondly. It is not a must for Tinubu to appoint an easterner as service chief. He owes nobody anything. It is by choice.

Penguin2:
Great points here. Never really looked at it from that angle.

But these things are usually systemic sha. If I look at the rank of the Major Generals and above, and they are dominated by people I’m not comfortable with especially after proper security checks on them, I would then choose from the rank of the Brigadier Generals and force out the Major Generals.

Remember that Ihejirika was appointed COAS from the Brig General rank. But I don’t think it was his lack of control/influence on the lower ranks to caused him his job.

You know that time the north was in bed with Boko Haram and was using it as a political tool. But Ihejirika was tough on Boko Haram which made some northerners start some stupid propaganda that “Jonathan the wanted to wipe out their region”.

When they persisted with that narrative, with Buhari even lending his voice at some point, Jonathan feared he might lose northern votes if Ihejirika continued. That’s why he had to sacrifice him. So, I don’t think it’s because Ihejirika didn’t have control of the Army.

fergie001:

Good, someone who has two years from the 1990 set can be IGP so when he leaves, it's clear coast for Mba or his set. That was how the Okiro/Onovo saga played out.

It shouldn't just be about age. I am not looking at Mba, I am looking at the Force and the morale, again, what message does this send for someone who has been an AIG for 3 months and later DIG to head the force, it's a bit not OK experience-wise for me. I will complain if anybody is in same shoes.

Even though, he might eventually get it, give him sometime to gather some experience. He was promoted to CP in Dec 2020, he wasn't posted to anywhere (remained PPRO) till he went to NIPSS in Feb 2022, he graduated from NIPSS in Dec last year.

He was posted out in Feb 2023, by April he was AIG, by June, he is DIG..... Haba Haba (in Wike's voice), let's give the man some time.


garfield1

fergie001:

It will be bad for the service especially now in times of insurgency when the Army needs all the experience she can get.

Ihejirika was a Maj-Gen before he was appointed. He was in the NA Engrg and at a time headed the 41 Div Engrg in KD.. He had a good rise too and was deservedly COAS. Infact the first soldier from the Engrg Section to be COAS. He is of RC18, the same set as the present Sultan of Sokoto.

From the time of Jalo, Wushishi, IBB and co, the COAS are picked from the Maj-Gen. I remember IBB was COAS when Buhari was Head of State, he was Maj-Gen with Abacha, Nasko & co as Brig-Gen.

Ihejirika's father is a millionaire construction magnate (now late), and again the late Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu and Gen Ike Nwachukwu are from the same place as Ihejirika (Ovim in Isuikwuato LGA), so there is enough capacity.

He was removed for political expediency, the North didn't like him and they didn't hide it.

Penguin2:

Thank you for the clarification.



If there’s anybody that would end the northern stranglehold of the military, it would definitely be Tinubu.

I know it will be tough but somebody has got to do it and I think Tinubu will be the man.

Because the only reason you think Tinubu can’t comfortably appoint someone from the Southwest as COAS is because northerners dominate the military high ranks. This has got to end.

senatordave1:


There are a lot of yorubas in the top brass.you cannot end the dominance of the north in the military.

Penguin2:

There are people of different regions in the top brass of the military but are you saying we are going to be perpetually under northern subjugation in the military?

Things must have to be evened out someday.

Penguin2:

Thank you for the clarification.

If there’s anybody that would end the northern stranglehold of the military, it would definitely be Tinubu.

I know it will be tough but somebody has got to do it and I think Tinubu will be the man.

Because the only reason you think Tinubu can’t comfortably appoint someone from the Southwest as COAS is because northerners dominate the military high ranks. This has got to end.

fergie001:

Why will it end when many Southerners, esp those in the SE will not join the Force. The last recruitment for Police, they were begging the SE to fill their slot, no way.

The SE has the smallest number yet nobody wants to join the Police. He has ability to stop it but will he join the Army himself?

During GEJ, he tried there however people have to be willing to massively enrol in the Force when they are needed.

fergie001:

Why will it end when many Southerners, esp those in the SE will not join the Force. The last recruitment for Police, they were begging the SE to fill their slot, no way.

The SE has the smallest number yet nobody wants to join the Police. He has ability to stop it but will he join the Army himself?

During GEJ, he tried there however people have to be willing to massively enrol in the Force when they are needed.

fergie001:
you have explained it so well to a lay man's understanding.
In the Police Act, there must be a DIG from every Zone.

Since the SE had no AiG and according to the Police Act every Zone must have it, CP Celestine Okoye was promoted straight to DIG, he retired in 2019.

No AIG still, CP Joseph Egbunike was promoted straight to DIG. They were both the most Senior Officers.

Amadi was promoted AIG as the most senior Officer and later DIG after the death of Egbunike. He retired on June 10, 2023.

Mba is the most Senior Officer (by rank not years of Service) from the SE and will leave the Police on 18/06/2027, Ciroma is also the most senior Officer from the NE... So there is no choice, they both have to cover the DIG slots for their Zones.

Penguin2:

We keep our fingers crossed sha.

But my money is on Mba as IGP.

Considering that Tinubu will not be comfortable with an Igbo man as COAS, Chief of Air Staff, Chief of Naval Staff or even the useless Chief of Defense Staff, I’m hypothetisizing that he might concede the IGP position to southeast and Mba might get it.