Security
By Paul Ukpabio
THE euphoria that heralded the appointment of the new Service Chiefs is gradually dying down even within the first few days of their appointment. Perhaps, an indication that shows that many people may not really see or expect much changes from the new team, especially when it took the government a longer time, despite numerous calls for the change, before it was finally effected.
The above opinion is also shared by Lucky Unuode, Executive Director, Bayan Securities and Guards Limited. “Oh, that is one change of appointment that was well long overdue,” he said. But now that it has been done, Unuode believes that the change will boost the morale of the younger soldiers, who now have hope that they will move upwards too.
Unuode told Realnews that the security situation presently calls for new blood and very fresh ideas, which he strongly believes the new chiefs have. “I am happy that the appointment cuts across the nation, which will help reduce the already existing tension as it was.”
Unuode’s advice to the new Service Chiefs is that they must all work in unison with one another and that they should have respect for the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). “I grew up in the barracks and I attended military school, appointment they say is better than rank, so they must bring their experience to bear on this new position, which they have been accorded to serve the people.”
On his part, Colonel Segun Atanda, retire, the Director of Operations at Proton Security, says that the new appointments are a welcome idea. “The appointment of Maj. Gen. Leo Irabor as the CDS is a reward for hard work and dedication. The light can never be suppressed for long. I am particularly happy! Meritocracy has come to play. His appointment is an excellent one based on his antecedents and full knowledge of the North East Operations in particular.”
Atanda went on to say that one of the problems of the North East Operations was the post inter service rivalry, which he believes that Maj. Gen. Leo Irabor will be able to solve.
“The appointment of other service chiefs is also a welcome idea. They were at one time or the other at the Nigerian Defence Academy together. This will afford them the opportunity of sharing ideas and their closeness may put an end to inter service rivalry. The whole country is in a hurry to get Boko Haram and other criminals out of our way. They should strive to leave legacy behind so that their names can be written in gold,” Atanda said.
The Lagos State Co-ordinator of the Retired Members of Nigeria Armed Forces, REMENAF, Esho Joseph, also agrees that the change of the Service Chiefs was long overdue, but it is better late than never.
“My opinion is for them to get into motion by re-energizing their various arms of the services through moral boosting of their officers and men and by extension; they should upgrade their intelligence gathering by making use of skillful veterans that abound in the country. More importantly, they should close ranks and work in synergy so as to achieve the much needed peace in the North East and other volatile areas where the insurgency of Boko Haram, armed banditry and kidnapping have been the order of the day.”
Esho also goes further to stress the need to boost the morale of soldiers still serving and those that are out of service and the payment of entitlements due to the retired personnel of the armed forces.
“I will advise the new service chiefs to work closely with the Honourable Minister of Defence in seeing that the long outstanding entitlements of the retired officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces are paid without further delay as this will serve as a morale booster for the serving personnel that are in the battle fields, more so the welfare of their next of kin of our fallen heroes should be taken seriously than the lips service of annual ritual of January 15th Armed Forces remembrance day celebration. To be specific, the issues of the Security Debarment Allowance for the Retired personnel should take a front burner before the Service Chiefs because of the importance in curbing the ex-military men from using the skills acquired against the state.
Retired Navy Commodore Abimbola Ayuba, President Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, ACSS, Nigeria Alumni Chapter, confirmed to Realnews that the four newly appointed Service Chiefs are very experienced and have sound knowledge of the vagaries of higher military operations. They are of high integrity and have outstanding leadership capacities.
While he congratulated the President and Commander in Chief and all Nigerians for putting together what he calls, the Winning Team, Ayuba advised that, the new Service Chiefs promote the principles of joint work in areas of operations planning and execution.
“They need to utilize the advantages of joint intelligence, and of joint logistics: The concept of Interoperability, Serviceability and Reliability, ISR, in the future procurement of military hardware, equipment and ordnances. And I appeal to our politicians and other social influencers to let them face their new assignments. They must appoint the right calibre of personnel that can help to rapidly achieve the overall Commander’s directives or mandate. That process should be devoid of ethno-religious considerations and they should shun nepotism and such practices, but embrace professional approaches to service delivery. I wish them successes in the days ahead.”
Like the other security experts, Captain A. A Mohammed rtd, agrees that the appointment of the new service chiefs was a long awaited issue. However, just as the Commander in Chief mentioned sometimes in October last year that, those who will be opportune to be at the hem of security affairs in the country would have to buckle their belt to put things right as it’s not going to business as usual, the newly appointed service chiefs are not new of the happening of security situation in Nigeria as all of the have tested the real battle field. So cases of insurgency, banditry and kidnapping are not new to them.
“I believed in any system that you inject new blood, new ideas will start flourishing before it would be damped. There is going to be changes in commands, as all those other course that have joined the Arm forces will give way for the fresh and vibrant officers to take mantle of leadership. As a country we need to give them the maximum support for them to deliver what is expected of them so that Nigeria can be safe and peaceful again.”
The appointment of the new Service Chiefs is in the right direction, though it took too long for the President to take the decision, says Victoria Ekhomu, the Managing Director at Trans-World Security Ltd & School of Management And Security. “The pedigree of the new Service Chiefs is encouraging as most of them have been in the theatre of the Boko Haram Insurgency battle. This has exposed them to the challenges that are on ground, and since they are now in leadership, we expect them to be quick at changing the battle formation and hopefully giving us victory.
“We had learnt that the military didn’t have the requisite resources to win the battle, that the allowances of those on the battle front was either not paid or delayed. There were also complaints of soldiers overstaying on their tour of duty, which could also result in burn out. The appointment of the new Service Chiefs, will also be a morale booster, as many military personnel were demoralized, since the old Service Chiefs were said to have overstayed, and as such, did not create room for the traditional promotions and movement of the military personnel, as younger ones were retiring, while these older ones were remaining in their positions. There were also feelings of disaffection in the service.”
Victoria Ekhomu, who is also a member of the ASIS International Board of Trustees, a global professional organization for security professionals, added that, “the delays, even with the increasing insecurity nationwide, was resulting in self-help and vigilantes being formed all over the country, as there was loss of faith and trust in the military, since they were seen as either unresponsive or ineffective. The last straw was the Oyo-Ondo crisis, which was threatening the fabric of the nation, with the Bandits, Herders and Boko Haram Insurgency, which were wreaking havoc all over Nigeria.
To Ekhomu, so much is expected of the new Service Chiefs. She hopes that the government will provide them the needed resources to successfully fight the various battles and make Nigeria safe again for Nigerians to live, work and travel, without any fear of kidnapping, killings, raping and so on.
She advised that, with the Covid-19 pandemic, drop in oil prices and inflation, Nigeria must harness its agriculture, which is presently being hampered by insecurity, created by the herders, bandits and Boko Haram.
“If Nigeria is able to succeed to make the country safer, it will be a haven for tourism, trading, exports and so on. This will drastically change the present narrative for Nigeria, which can rise to take its rightful place in the comity of nations with all our resources and great potential,” Ekhomu said.
-Jan, 29, 2021 @ 19:10
Tags: Reduce tension in the land security experts tell new Service Chiefs
