President Muhammadu Buhari has finally succumbed to public pressure to dispense with his service chiefs, who have overstayed their tenure for several years.
In an announcement, yesterday, Special Adviser on Media, Chief Femi Adesina, said Buhari has accepted the immediate resignation of the service chiefs, and their retirement from service.
Those involved are the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.
Buhari thanked the old service chiefs for what he called their “overwhelming achievements in our efforts at bringing enduring peace to our dear country.”
He also wished them well in their future endeavours.
The new service chiefs are: Major-General Leo Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General Ibrahim Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff; and Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Amao, Chief of Air Staff.
Buhari also congratulated the new service chiefs, and urged them to be loyal and dedicated in the discharge of their responsibilities.
Reacting to the new development, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing new service chiefs for the country.
Wike noted that even though the appointments came late; the President should be commended for listening to the voice of the people.
He challenged the new appointees to see their appointments as an opportunity to re-engineer the nation’s security architecture which has suffered tremendous 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.
Wike noted that Nigerians who lost confidence in the former service chiefs are looking up to the new appointees to make the desired change.
He called on all levels of government to give the service chiefs the needed support they would require to execute their assignments.
“This is an opportunity to serve the nation and I believe that the service chiefs will be focused and dedicated,” he added.
Also reacting, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stressed that the senior security officers listened to the party’s voice.
The PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the service chiefs outlived their usefulness, hence their resignation, and said the incoming service chiefs should put an end to the spate of insecurity in the country.
The spokesman of the opposition party insisted that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was ineffective.
Further reacting, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) challenged the newly appointed service chiefs to see their appointments as a call to revitalize the weakened security architecture to ensure the country is secured for all.
The CUPP, which said this via a statement issued by its National Secretary, High Chief Peter Ameh, while reacting to the appointment of the new military helmsmen in Abuja, said although, the sack of service chiefs was long overdue but still a welcome development..
Ameh charged that, “The new service chiefs must now go to work to make sure that Nigeria is secured for our people to travel across state lines to do business and prosper the nation without the fear of being kidnapped.”
According to him, “The sack of the service chiefs is a great relief to the officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigerian people as a whole.
“I have no doubt in my mind that those appointed to lead the new and successful onslaught against those who have boldly taken over our ungoverned spaces have been tested and trusted to do the job.”
Similarly, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organization, Afenifere described the sack of service chiefs by President Muhammadu Buhari as a belated exercise.
Reacting to the development, National Publicity Secretary, Afenifere, Mr Yinka Odumakin, said the sack was belated as the service chiefs should have been sacked before now.
He said Afenifere was not impressed with the sack as it was long overdue.
Odumakin stated that Afenifere did not believe that the agenda that made Buhari to keep the service chiefs had been dropped.
He said the Buhari’s government had not changed its agenda of nepotism and managing the country in a sectional manner.
Odumakin also faulted appointment of the new service chiefs, as there was nobody appointed from the South-East part of the country.
Still reacting, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) called on the newly appointed service chiefs to immediately disband all armed groups and militias in the country.
It also urged the security heads to work in harmony with the civil society to ensure that no group has the capacity to challenge the state.
The group in a statement by its spokesman, Abulazeez Sulaiman, also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to “reassert himself by taking direct control of the fight to secure the nation and to finally reclaim the nation’s forests, highways and sea that have been lost to insurgents, other armed criminals.”
The statement reads, “The Coalition of Northern Groups has noted the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari has finally acceded to the huge demands made by Nigerians for the replacement of the nation’s service chiefs as a step towards addressing the serious shortfalls in our policing and security institutions.
“The CNG sincerely welcomes the development in the hope that the hundreds of thousands of people in Northern communities that have been at the mercy of insurgents, bandits, kidnappers, rustlers and rapists without any form of security protection would now get respite.
“CNG advices President Buhari as a military General to reassert himself by taking direct control of the fight to secure the nation and to finally reclaim the nation’s forests, highways and sea that have been lost to insurgents, other armed criminals and assortment of militants in various guises.
“We also advise the new service chiefs on the imperative of involving responsible opinion from community leaders and the civil society for civic contributions in initiatives that will address the manner the nation is designed to be policed and secured.
“We expect them to work in direct harmony with all components of the Nigerian society for action to immediately disband all militias and armed groups in Nigeria to ensure that no group in future has the capacity to challenge the state in its prerogative to maintain law and order, and protect citizens’ lives and properties.
“The acceptable position remains that only legally constituted outfits and lawfully sanctioned organizations under the direct control of the Federal Government, as recognized by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, can be so organized, armed and fitted.
“We expect a renewed commitment by our gallant troops and a stronger will from President Buhari in the fight against Boko Haram, bandits and other forms of criminality without the need for floating victory in the media.
“We urge them to fight this insecurity with resolve and awareness of their obligations under the law, as well as the knowledge that victory will only be pronounced when the nation achieves full cessation of hostilities, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration in the entire region.
“We appeal to fellow Nigerians to show the highest levels of cooperation, restraint and maturity in the manner we relate with the new security chiefs to ensure our defence. Under no circumstances should we as citizens encourage or harbour acts that will increase our exposure to crime, lawlessness and insecurity.”
It would be recalled that Major General Leo Irabor is from Agbor in Delta State, and was a member of the Regular Course 39 of the NDA.
He served as a Commander Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) of the Nigerian Army, Minna; Chief of Training and Operations (CTOP) Defence Headquarters; the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, and headed the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) as the Field Commander.
The trained engineer also served as Chief of Staff to the Chief of Army Staff.
Major General Attahiru Ibrahim, until his appointment as the Chief of Army Staff, was the General Officer Commanding 82 Division, Nigerian Army.
He was appointed to lead the offensive against Boko Haram in the North-East in May, 2017.
He was, however, redeployed by the then Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Tukur Buratai after a string of attacks by the insurgents, including after giving him a deadline in July to deliver Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau dead or alive within 40 days.
Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Amao was born on September 14, 1965 at Enugu but hails from Oshogbo LGA of Osun State.
He enlisted into the Nigerian Air Force on January 19, 1984 as a member of the 35 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
He had previously served as Trainee/Squadron Pilot, NAF Unit 99 ACTG Kainji (1993-2004), Instructor Pilot/Squadron Pilot, 301 FTS Kaduna (2004-2007), Air Assistance to Chief of Air Staff, Deputy Defence Adviser, Nigerian High Commission London, Assistant Director of Operation Defence Headquarters, Director of Policy and Plans, Nigerian Air Force.
Until his appointment as the Chief of Air Staff by the President, Amao was the Commandant, Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, Lagos.
Rear Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo was born on April 22, 1966, and hails from Nasarawa LGA in Kano State.
He enlisted into the Nigerian Navy on September 24, 1984 as a member of Regular Course 36 and was commissioned Sub-Lieutenant on September 24, 1988.
He is an Underwater Warfare specialist with a subspecialisation in Intelligence.
The senior officer has attended several military courses which include, Sub-Technical course and Officers Long course both at NNS QUORRA.
He also attended Junior Division 48/89 and Senior Course 26 both at AFCSC Jaji.
Other courses attended include the National Defence Course at the South African National Defence College.
Until his recent appointment as the CNS, he was the Director of Procurement at the Defence Space Administration.