Major General Sunday Adebayo (retired) has blamed the lingering counter-insurgency in the North-East on the jostling for command posting by officers over financial benefits.
Adebayo, who is the national chairman (Ex-Boys) Nigerian Military School (NMS) Zaria, 1973 to 1978 class, said deployments of commanding officers to the North East are now seen as a goldmine.
He spoke during a press conference on Thursday in Abuja to kick start activities for the ‘NMS 73-78 set’ award night and celebration of 32 members who reached the rank of General in the Nigerian military.
Fielding questions from journalists, Adebayo said, “One of the problems in the fight against insurgency is that even the deployment of soldiers is faulty, because the Boko Haram area is seen as a goldmine, you are posted there as a Commander and in a short period you have made it.”
“So people struggle to go there and those deployments are done out of ‘man know man’ favouritism; some Commanders are put in place without experience,” he said.
Adebayo said the Ex-Boys plan to acknowledge years of excellence and brotherhood by celebrating its members that reached the rank of general in the presence of former instructors.
He said the set last year provided funds for some of its members who had financial difficulties to establish businesses.
He said in the past two years, members of the set built and equipped a library at NMS Zaria, renovated old blocks and provided additional one.
He also commended the government for its effort to end the menace of insurgency especially with the acquisition of new fighter aircrafts which he said would give the Armed Forces advantage over insurgents.
