Since 2015, 13th July 2015, to be exact, when the present government of Nigeria took over power there has been serious misgivings from the populace concerning the service chief the president chose to map out the security architecture of Nigeria and inversely organize the theatricals thereof. The obvious failure of these four horse men which manifested in a terrible increase insecurity in the nation as kidnaps by terrorist, armed robberies, ethnic clashes and increasing death toll of innocent citizens of the nation led to a very high increase in a clarion call that these service chiefs be laid off.
The president had resisted this demand by the people, insisting their removal is not the immediate or long run solution to the insecurity problem of the nation. However, the need for them to exit the military stage was more of the fact that they had overstayed their welcome in that institution as their retirement was long overdue.
Therefore, yesterday, the 26th of January 2021, there was jubilation in some military barracks across the country and indeed all over the nation, when the news of the sacking of the former service chiefs hit the airwaves. The media, both the traditional and virtual literary went agogo.
This is the news the nation has waited for, as the nation and the whole world particularly those countries with diplomatic and trade relations with Nigeria watched the burgeoning insecurity crises of Nigeria with nervous interest.
The foreign investment aspect of Nigeria’s earnings simply went to the dogs.
A 20-second video from SaharaReporters Media captured the moment some personnel of the Nigerian Navy in their barracks believed to be in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, screamed and danced over the development.
SaharaReporters claimed that their Sources revealed to them that there was also jubilation in some army barracks across the country over the announcement.
The service chiefs laid off by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday were the Chief of Defence Chief, General Abayomi Olonisakin, Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, after the four had spent five years and five months in office.
Although Buhari said on Tuesday that he accepted their resignation letters, the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, already clarified in the past that the military chiefs could not resign and had to be laid off by the Commander-In-Chief.
Meet President Buhari’s Newly Appointed Service Chiefs 8 Comments
In a State House press release on Tuesday, Buhari’s Special Adviser, Femi Adesina, said the new service chiefs were Major-General Leo Irabor as the CDS, Major-General Ibrahim Attahiru as the army chief, Rear Admiral A. Z. Gambo as the naval chief and Air-Vice Marshal I. O. Amao as the new air chief.
Someone was over heard as saying, “Who will not be happy that they were replaced? It was long overdue, they had become principalities and they had stagnated the career progression. I don’t think they resigned. They were fired. The three service chiefs were supposed to visit the Ministry of Defence headquarters, Ship House, on Tuesday afternoon but the meeting was cancelled in the last minute when the announcement filtered into the country,”
We all hope that with this shuffle that the insecurity issues that have bedeviled Nigeria will abate and the long suffering nation can now get back to her normal fast track of world business in which she had always be a major player and a leader of the charging troupe of the African committee of nations charging troupe.
