Headlines
Resign By Monday, Military Orders Senior Officers Above Course 39
The Defence Headquarters has given top officers who are seniors to the newly appointed service chiefs till Monday to voluntarily retire from service.
The order, which was contained in a memo dated June 26 and signed by Maj Gen Y. Yahaya on behalf of the Chief of Defence Staff, was directed to generals, brigadiers-general, air vice marshals, and rear admirals in the Nigerian Army, Air Force, and Nigerian Navy, who are senior to the new service chiefs.
The development confirmed a report by The PUNCH that scores of top military brass would be retired following the appointment of new service chiefs by President Bola Tinubu on June 19.
The retirement of the senior officers across the three services was in line with the long-standing military tradition that officers who were senior to the service chiefs would be retired.
It is a tradition in the military that when a junior is appointed as a service chief, senior officers, who are ahead of him or her, would proceed on retirement.
The understanding is that senior military officers are unlikely to take orders from their juniors.
Tinubu had announced the immediate retirement of General Lucky Irabor who was the Chief of Defence Staff; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Farouk Yahaya; the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, and Air Marshal Oludayo Amao, the Chief of Air Staff and replaced them with new military chiefs.
The new service chiefs are Maj Gen Christopher Musa who is the Chief of Defence Staff; the Chief of Army Staff, Maj Gen Taoreed Lagbaja; the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla while Air Vice Marshal Hassan Abubakar was appointed the Chief of Air Staff.
DIG Kayode Egbetokun was appointed as the acting Inspector-General of Police and Maj. Gen. E Undiandeye, Chief of Defence Intelligence.
Also, a former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, who was earlier appointed as the Security Adviser to the President, was elevated to the National Security Adviser.
While the new CDS is a member of 38 Regular Course, the COAS, the CNS, and the CAS are members of 39 Regular Course.
However, the DHQ in the memo with reference number DHQ/I5/PLANS/801/13 directed all officers with seniority on commission above that of Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Course 39 to submit their applications for voluntary retirement from service with immediate effect.
This, it said, was meant to preserve and uphold the tenets of the military profession which values hierarchy and service discipline.
The memo, copied to the army, navy, and air force headquarters, read in part, “It would be recalled that the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently appointed new CDS and Service Chiefs on June 19, 2023.
‘’In order to preserve and uphold the tenets of the military profession which values hierarchy and service discipline, it is important that all officers whose officer cadet courses run seniority above that of the current Service Chiefs disengage from the Service.
“Consequently, I am directed to respectfully request services to direct all officers with seniority on commission above that of NDA Regular Course 39 to submit their applications for voluntary retirement from Service with immediate effect. I am to add that affected officers are to submit their applications to their respective Service Headquarters no later than Mon July 3, 2023.”
When asked about the number of naval officers that may be affected by the directive on Thursday, the spokesperson for the army, Onyema Nwachukwu, said, “I am not able to generate such statistics now until it unfolds.”
In his response, the Nigerian Navy, Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, said, “I think on this, acting DDI, DHQ (Director, Defence Information) can be reached to speak for the AFN. Already there were speculations in some print media on this. Nevertheless once cleared and permitted, it’ll be disclosed.’’
The spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ayodele Famuyiwa, declined comment, saying he is handing over to his successor on Monday.
But the acting Director, Defence Information, Brig Gen Tukur Gusau could not be reached on the number of senior officers that may be affected by the directive as he did not respond to phone calls and a text message sent to his phone.
But commenting on the directive to the senior officers, retired Col Foluso Saka said it was time the military established a corps for retired personnel, adding that their experiences, especially those with technical skills, could still benefit the country.
He said, “I am aware it is the tradition of the military to retire some top officers when their junior is appointed but I am of the view that there should be a corps or something like a reserve for retired military personnel instead of asking them to just retire.
“The military can fall back on them should they need their services or be made to train and nurture the young ones. Their services, especially those highly skilled among them, should not be allowed to waste; they can be put to use for the benefit of the nation. A lot of resources have been expended on them to acquire the knowledge they have.”
A security analyst, Timothy Avele, said the retirement might not have an impact on the ongoing military operations across the country, adding that the security challenges facing the country required a modern approach.
He noted, “It won’t have much effect if they are being replaced with more technologically compliant young energetic officers. Times have changed; bearing the rank of a general is no longer enough to fight modern security challenges, though experience counts.”
In another development, the Nigerian Navy has announced the redeployment of 56 senior officers and one commodore.
The Punch
Source: Reuters
Arise Television anchor, Rufai Oseni, has alleged that there may be attempts to prevent key opposition figures, including Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, from appearing on the ballot for the 2027 general elections.
Oseni’s remark followed a Federal High Court judgment ordering the de-registration of some political parties.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples’ Party (APP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Action Alliance Party (AAP) over alleged constitutional breaches.
The judgment arose from a lawsuit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which argued that the affected parties failed to meet constitutional and statutory electoral performance requirements necessary for continued recognition as political parties.
Justice Lifu subsequently barred INEC from recognising the affected parties, accepting nominations from them or permitting them to participate in activities related to the 2027 general elections.
The ruling, if upheld, could affect the political ambitions of several politicians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is the ADC presidential flag-bearer, and Osun State governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
But speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Oseni described the court ruling as a “test” of public reaction, warning that more actions could follow ahead of the next general election.
According to him, opposition parties such as the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, should be cautious, claiming that efforts could be made to stop major figures from participating in the election.
Oseni argued that the judgment was part of a broader process aimed at shaping the political landscape ahead of 2027.
He maintained that the ruling came despite some of the affected parties having recorded electoral victories in recent elections.
He warned that Nigerians must remain vigilant to safeguard the country’s democracy, stressing the need for judicial reforms alongside efforts to tackle insecurity.
Oseni said: “NDC, ADC should be careful because there will be attempt, and this is me predicting now, to ensure that Obi, Atiku and other big contenders are not on the ballot.
“This that you saw yesterday is just a test. This is not the real place where the whole thing is going. This is me predicting now.
“You know before you have a show you test the microphone. They want to see the reactions of Nigerians. More is still coming.
“You can see how they carry a judgement when ADC won two House of Representatives seats in Kogi, one Kogi House of Assembly seat, APP one chairmanship seat in Jigawa, Zenith Labour party won several seats in Abia, but they still went ahead and issued judgement for deregistration after the Court of Appeal, a higher court, said it should stay on that.
“If we want to deal with this judicial rascality, can I tell you something? The judge that gave this judgment, nothing will happen to him. Nothing on this earth. They are just coming.
“And who is leading this group? Gbajabiamila. Have you forgotten what Gbajabiamila said on Hon Ajibade’s birthday? So they are just coming. This one is just a test. The next one they will do is the NDC.
“With the way they’re going, if Nigerians don’t shine their eyes when they will finally have this election, you will not have the major contenders in the ballot. This thing they have just done is to test reactions from Nigerians.
“I saw this thing coming. You know we are going into an election in which Atiku Abubakar is the only major candidate from the North. It’s not like the last one you have Kwankwaso that can split the Kano votes. And you have Peter Obi and general consensus that a lot of people are in abject penury, insecurity is raging hard.
“This is the beginning of many things. They are just testing the microphone. It’s engineered. More is coming. Nigerians, it is you that will save your democracy. Judicial reforms have become so important as insecurity in Nigeria.”
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has picked former Rivers State Governor and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate.
Announcing the decision, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said Amaechi’s emergence followed broad consultations within the party and reflected his strong performance as runner-up in the party’s presidential primaries as well as his track records of service to his state and the country.
According to the ADC, Amaechi’s extensive experience across both the legislative and executive arms of government, as former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, two-term Governor of Rivers State, and former Minister of Transportation, makes him uniquely qualified to complement Atiku’s leadership, strengthen the party’s national appeal, and bolster its campaign to offer Nigerians an experienced and credible alternative ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The party said the choice of Amaechi underscores its commitment to presenting a leadership team with proven governance experience and national appeal as it prepares for the 2027 presidential contest.
ThisDay
