President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed new service chiefs, long after rising clamour calling for the sack of existing ones.
They new appointees are Major-General Leo Irabor, 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, Chief of Air Staff.
A presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said the appointment followed the acceptance of immediate resignation of the former service chiefs, and their retirement from service.
Adesina took to Twitter to announce the new appointments.
PMB appoints new Service Chiefs. Maj Gen Leo Irabor, CDS, Maj Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, Army, Rear Adm AZ Gambo, Navy, AVM IO Alao, Air Force. He congratulates outgoing Service Chiefs on efforts to bring enduring peace to the country.
— Femi Adesina (@FemAdesina) January 26, 2021
Adesina said those involved were 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.
Correction: AVM IO Amao , new Chief of Air Staff, not Alao.
— Femi Adesina (@FemAdesina) January 26, 2021
He said President Buhari thanked the outgoing service chiefs for what he called their “overwhelming achievements in our efforts at bringing enduring peace to our dear country” and wished them well in their future endeavours.
The President equally congratulated the new service chiefs, and urged them to be loyal and dedicated in the discharge of their responsibilities.
It would be recalled that various stakeholders in the country had called for the sack of service chiefs before the President finally took the decision.
The calls for their sack followed a spate of insecurity in different parts of the country, especially in the northeast, and the seeming failure of the security agencies to contain it.
In December 2020, the Senate called for a second time for the ousting of the service chiefs after hundreds of farmers were killed on their farms in Borno.
The attack has come to be dubbed the Borno Massacre.
On the same day, a cross-section of elders across the country under the aegis of Coalition of Nigeria Elders for Peace and Good Governance (CONEPAGG) urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sack the nation’s Service Chiefs and replace them with more capable hands.
Analysts have questioned the continued stay in position of the now-ousted service chiefs, citing that they had put in more than the years of service required by law and had all gone beyond retirement age.
No compromise
A cross-section of people in Taraba state have advised the new service chiefs appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari not to compromise their duty and work very hard to address the insecurity in the country.
Yayaha Mafindi a resident of Jalingo, Taraba state capital said much is expected from the new service chiefs in the face of insecurity facing the country.
He said they should not compromise their duty and they should bring their military expertise to bear in the fight against criminals elements that are making life very difficult in the country.
Alhaji Muntari Ajuji however said Nigerians should pray for the newly appointed service chiefs to succeed in their assignment.
“Only Allah can see us through the difficult time we are passing through in this country and therefore whatever we do we should seek the support of Allah for us as a nation to succeed,” he said.
Mallam Ali Danladi was of the opinion that commitment and sincerity on the part of the new service chiefs as well as God guidance is the only way that would enable the new service chiefs to succeed.
” We want to see a change in the way and manner the insecurity is an approach, the new service chiefs should work hard to address insecurity in the country,” he said
David Bulus also stated that the new service chiefs should bring new tactics and approach to bear in the fight against criminals elements in the country.
He called on Nigerians to always be on alert and monitor suspicious persons and give security agents information of activities of criminal in their localities in order to tackle them.
