Only recently, President Bola Tinubu ‘overhauled’ the nation’s top military machinery as all former Service Chiefs were relieved of their jobs, leaving only the former Chief of Army Staff, COAS, who was elevated to become the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS. With the development, the Army, Navy and Air Force got new chiefs.
Prior to these changes the coast was not clear as there were foggy reports concerning some form of instability within the ranks of the military. Soon, it entered the controversial and embarrassing handling of the matter by the inordinate and uncoordinated response to reports of a botched attempt to oust the Federal Government led by Tinubu, for which some military officers were said to have been arrested.
The military hierarchy dismissed the reports as false but rather insisting that the officers arrested were only undergoing routine disciplinary measures applicable for keeping the rank and file in check.
Shortly after, the Service Chiefs were disengaged and replaced by new ones. While it would not be healthy to do a scorecard of the retired military chiefs here, their exit no doubt has propped not a few concerns which must not be thrown away in a hurry.
Were the former chiefs displaced following the alleged coup attempt? That is still not clear.
Another issue being raised by analysts is the humongous retirement packages for the retired generals. Why did the government promise the generals unprecedented mouth-watering retirement benefits which set a fresh precedence in the history of the military? If it is within the prerogative of the President and Commander-in-Chief to appoint and depose military chiefs why should there be such complimentary benefits that suggests that they were be placated by the largesse from the President. After all, they are not the first set of military chiefs that would go on retirement or be sacked by a President. The issue has bothered many analysts and observers who feel it was a decision taken without due discretion.
With reports filtering in, all the retired Service Chiefs were awarded stupendous take-home gratuities in addition to bullet proof SUVs among other packages. The implications of these are enormous. The cost of these packages are enormous and a huge drain on the nation’s dwindling resources. These record breaking bundles also come with a firm promise that the components would be reviewed every four years. It is not exactly what a nation bleeding from gross economic malaise should contemplate at this moment. There are standards for all retirees from the rank and file and even to the service chiefs. Pushing up the notch several levers ahead may just be laying a precedent that would disorientate and create unease through the system.
It is not doubtful that the retiring service chiefs may be comfortable with their packages but can these be sustained should another government is voted in after the current tenure of the President which officially lapses in 2027.
One major concern that straddled the tenure of the outgone Service Chiefs is growing insecurity across the country even when the government has given several marching orders that the discomfiture caused by these various phases of insecurity be ended.
General Christopher Musa the immediate past CDS differs significantly in the approach to ending insecurity across the country. He proffers an eclectic approach which would involve all stakeholders. He has severally held that a military option was not only the solution as he noted that the populace and non-state actors must play significant roles in the fight against the hydra-headed scourge of banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and sundry issues bedeviling the nation.
Notwithstanding his profound thoughts, we hold that the military still holds the ace in this fight but must do so within the realm of strict and decisive move. Agreed we are not in a conventional war situation, hence we must device non-conventional methods to deal with the ugly situation at hand. Our communities must remain vigilant by reporting promptly suspicious activities to the authorities.
We are also worried about arrested security operatives who supply arms and ammunition to terrorists and even go further to enhance their logistics capacity one way or the other for self-enrichment. Such unscrupulous insiders should face the full wrath of the law.
As we welcome the new chiefs, they must prove to the nation that their appointments were duly made.
