When the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced sweeping changes in the hierarchy of the Nigerian military on 24 October, 2024, most Nigerians greeted the news with mixed feelings. While many felt the changes were long over due, others saw the move as inappropriate and ill timed. Such is expected in Nigeria where any official action is viewed with skepticism and generous dose of conspiracy theories. Do you blame us, when public policies and actions are often laced with personal and clannish underlays? However, no matter how Nigerians felt about those changes, they have come to stay and it is only left for Nigerians to see how the changes will affect the administration’s efforts to tackle pervasive insecurity that has gripped the country for over a decade and a half now. Changes in the military hierarchy like any other change of leadership is a normal phenomenon and it is routine in the military tradition. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise to any discerning mind. After all, change is part of life and it is desirable both for renewal of objectives and for adapting to evolving circumstances. The only surprising thing in the current effort is the amount of interests and controversies that the changes in leadership of hierarchies of public service institutions are generating in Nigeria in recent times. A normal and routine change of leadership of any public institution ought not to generate any furore the way it does in Nigeria. If nothing else, the hullabaloo that attends to change of leadership in Nigeria underscore the ethno-religious fault lines and mistrust of the government by many Nigerians. To those whose kiths and kins are affected, any change of leadership is interpreted in the dark light of a seething hatred or dislike that the person making the change harbours for a particular ethnic group or religion or geo-political zone of the country. Conversely and for those whose relatives, friends or tribal or fellow religious adherents are beneficiaries of change in hierarchies, there is instant jubilation and praise for the person who appointed their person into the offices being vacated by the former occupants. Even before the errand boy or girl finishes announcing the changes, the jubilant crowd has began to issue congratulatory messages and flowery appreciation letters. This is the usual way of doing things in Nigeria. It does not matter whether or not the new entrants bring new ideas, vigor or zeal to their new assignments. Also, the contributions and efforts of the outgone leadership are easily forgotten. This is the nature of change in Nigeria for what it is and the purpose it is meant to serve. Currently, there is a kaleidoscope of reasons that are being adduced for the recent change of Service Chiefs in Nigeria by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. While others believe it is for the failure of the replaced Service Chiefs to tackle the endless specter of insecurity in the country decisively, others adduce the changes to the reported attempted coup detat to topple the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Yet, not a few Nigerians adduce ethno-religious intentions to the whole saga. This particular group are most vociferous in their condemnation of what they see as a continuation of the ethno-religious marginalization of sections or clusters of the citizenry they belong to. Whichever way one looks at it, the various reasons are correct because of how we have conducted public affairs in the country since independence. Increasingly, we have promoted clannish interests over national interest in public governance such that trust, faith and patriotism have become sacrificial lambs on the alters of power, ego and influence. A popular Nigerian adage says that ‘if a witch cried last night and a child died the following morning, one does not need to search far for who killed the child’. Therefore, if a democratically elected and sitting President gets to know that some ambitious and disgruntled elements within the Armed Forces of a nation such as ours had sought to usurp his power and authority through undemocratic means, he would naturally hold the witch (which in this case are some complacent Service Chiefs) responsible. The rational thing to do under such a circumstance is to fire them. And that was what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did precisely without batting an eyelid. If anybody feels that the move of the President is wrong, let him or her wait until he or she is elected into office and approve to be overthrown by some ambitious and egoistic louts in uniform. Such could also allow the swagger stick bearing heads of their Army, Navy, Air Force and Police to strut all over the places in starched uniforms, running between officer messes to construction sites to supervise their ill acquired mansions and shopping malls while the nation is ravaged by pervasive insecurity. The ethno-religious proponents also have a point in the recent sacking of Service Chiefs in Nigeria. As much as President Tinubu tried to factor ethno-religious sentiments into the appointment of new Service Chiefs, he still left the Inspector General of Police who does not only come from the same Yoruba ethnic stock with Mr President, but has also been part of his political journey from 1999 till date untouched. To the ethno-religious chauvinists, the IGP and the heads of para-military outfits such as the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service and Chief of Defence Intelligence ought to have also been changed. Regrettably, everybody cannot have it with Mr President at the same time. Rather, it’s a win some, loose others situation in all governance scenarios. Mr President is the Commander-in-Chief and the nature and volume of information or intelligence at his disposal is not available to any other Nigerian. Therefore, let’s assume that the sacking of some security chiefs and retention of others is in the best interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. My take in the whole matter however is that indeed, the entire spectrum of our defence architecture needed to be overhauled because it has been overly exposed to politics and corruption at the expense of patriotism and professionalism. The level of political interference in military and security matters in Nigeria has reached a crescendo such that a mundane and routine issue such as the promotion and posting of a Captain in the Army has political underpins mostly as things stand currently. While some politically connected officers and enlisted men enjoy steady promotion and ‘juicy’ postings, those that are not so connected stagnate on a particular rank or are left to wallow pitiably in operation theatres and redundant positions. Similarly, most children of serving and retired Generals that are also serving in the Armed Forces are mostly posted to non-combat branches such as finance, logistics, intelligence or signals on graduation from military academies or training institutions. Despite this starting privilege, they also enjoy steady and uninterrupted promotion over and above their counterparts in teeth arms who face the drudgery and danger of combat actions with other dangerous exposures on daily basis. Tellingly, corruption has become entrenched in the Armed Forces with Service Chiefs and their finance as well as a few members of their kitchen cabinet having field days looting allocated funds with little or no oversight from any quarters. It is rumoured that politicians have an unwritten code that allows the military to do whatever they like with budgetary allocations and other intervention funds without accountability in order to take their minds and eyes off coup plotting. If so, the recent alleged coup plot has belied the hollow assumption. The political institutions and persons that are by establishment meant to oversee the Armed Forces or other security agencies in terms of operations and use of allocated resources hardly know the workings of the military and the security agencies that they supervise. Rather, they aid and abet corruption in the military and other security agencies by exerting and collecting periodic returns from the heads of security agencies in Nigeria. That is why one could witness a situation where an officer entrenches himself in a particular ‘juicy’ office and resists any attempt to post him to another unit or formation after a protracted stay in such an office. It is also common to see a supervising Minister or a top government official overruling or thwarting a routine posting of an officer who brings monthly returns to him directly or who takes care of family members of the affected line Minister or top government official. In terms of promotion, it is common to see slots being allocated to line Ministers or top government officials in the military who in turn give them to undeserving relatives or lackeys at the expense of hardworking and patently qualified officers that either refuse to play dirty politics or do not have political godfathers. An officer friend of mine from a State in north central geo-political zone told me a regretful story of how a former Governor of his State tied-up with a line Minister in charge of his arm of Service and an ethno-centric former Service Chief to deny him promotion even when it was obvious in the Service that he was among the best and was due and qualified for promotion. This is for the simple reason that the courageous officer dared to raise an eyebrow over the numerous atrocities being committed by the ex-Governor in his State with the tacit support and involvement of security operatives. Yet, one of his Coursemates that can hardly make a correct sentence in English Language and who did not attend some prescribed courses was promoted effortlessly over him on account of his religion and the huge amount of money that he doled out to those in charge in bribery for promotion. The officer that told me the story whose excellent and sterling qualities are known by all that knew and worked with him in the Armed Forces had to quit active service in frustration after being repeatedly by-passed for promotion. He is just one case out of numerous cases of injustice and political meddlesomeness in the military, police and para-military agencies in Nigeria. As a result, many excellent, patriotic, hardworking and dedicated officers as well as enlisted persons are quitting active service voluntarily in droves while the dregs remain to indulge in indolence, mischief, eye service and petty politics. Do we therefore have to wonder why Nigeria is unable to defeat insurgency, terrorism and banditry for nearly two decades and still counting? As much as I align with those that see the recent change of Service Chiefs as a routine exercise that stemmed from some strategic objectives, I would rather that the changes were more holistic, beginning from removal of the two Ministers in charge of Ministry of Defence. At the risk of sounding too hard on some persons, the two professional politicians and ardent supporters of President Bola Ahmed would have better been left in any other Ministry other than that of Defence that is so critical to our national sovereignty and survival. Ministry of Defence is not a place to play dirty local or national politics based on individualistic ambitions and the shenanigans of political solidarity that undercuts the fundamental dynamics of military routine. Firstly, both of them neither knew a grain of military operations nor the supportive administrative system and culture that sustain it before they were rewarded with those posts. Annoyingly, it does not seem as if the duo were ever interested in knowing anything about the military outside some pecuniary gains and the braggadocio of donning military fatigue with armed soldiers in tow to harass political opponents in their home States as we witnessed during the last re-run elections in Nigeria. Additionally, the common believe was that since both the Minister of Defence and the Minister of State for Defence are from northern Nigeria, they would be more motivated to supervise the military effectively to eradicate insurgency, terrorism and banditry from their area, and by extension, the entire country. I wish they did so. Zamfara State for example remains in the firm and relentless grip of insurgents and bandits as I wrote this piece. The plum and critical positions were also a reward for the contestible, tenuous and self-serving loyalty of the duo who stood by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the shaky transitional period of the previous APC administration when some of their ilks did not want President Tinubu to succeed late President Muhammad Buhari. It did not matter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that national sovereignty and survival were more important in the choice of a country’s Minster (s) of Defence. However, when the seat of the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria was threatened recently by some misguided and ambitious officers of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, the President considered the development as a heinous act of felony that deserved quick and decisive action. He did not hesitate to fire the Service Chiefs for the intended reckless and treacherous acts of their subordinates. He however spared the two Ministers in charge of Defence. If nothing else, they ought to be the first casualties of his angst for allowing a felonious act to take place under their noses just like the Service Chiefs did. Going forward, it is hoped that our President will be guided and motivated by the need to put people of character, conscience, grit, focus and determination as well as those he trusts to deliver in charge of the Defence Ministry. It could be an admixture of a calm, tested and respected retired General and a courageous, focused and equally respected civilian with proven knowledge of defence and and security matters; notwithstanding the fact that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu seems to have an aversion or disdain for military people. If this stemmed from his NADECO experiences, then the recently alleged coup plot by some unpatriotic elements within the ranks of our military may aggravate his aversion or hatred for them. Finally, as much as the current effort to restructure and redirect the military hierarchy is appropriate and well intentioned, it however needs to go further than just firing the Service Chiefs. He should also relieve his Defence Ministers of their duties and pay more and careful attention to happenings in the entire defence sector henceforth.
