General Abayomi Olonisakin (Chief of Defence Staff),
Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai (Chief of Army Staff),
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Chief of Naval Staff) and
Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (Chief of Air Staff) all resigned and retired a week ago.
The presidency announced on Thursday, February 4, 2021 that Buhari has forwarded the names of all four to the Senate for confirmation.
Air Vice Marshal Mohammed S. Usman, a retired former Chief of Defence Intelligence, was also nominated by the president.
Buhari urged the Senate to give expeditious consideration to the nominations, according to the presidency.
The nomination of the four retired service chiefs will raise eyebrows as their later service years were plagued by accusations of incompetence.
The clamour to replace the former chiefs was not because people were tired of seeing their faces. Their overstay had caused problems within the military services because sets of officers junior to them had had to retire without having a chance to reach the peak of their careers. For the wider public though, the main concern was that the war against insurgency and banditry has dragged on for too long, with no end in sight, and there were fears that the old service chiefs had run out of fresh ideas.
Maybe they had, but history must be kind to the former service chiefs. Buratai, for example, unfolded one new strategy after another and on many occasions he personally led troops into battle. The Air Force, on its part, moved under Sadique from a marginal contributor in the fight against Boko Haram to a central factor in recent times. Its daily bombing and strafing campaign against the insurgents has warmed the hearts of Nigerians and has severely degraded the insurgents’ capacity to wa
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Human Rights Lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), says the nation has continued in its habit of operating under an atmosphere of impunity.
Speaking on the appointment of the new Service Chiefs, Mr. Falana said going on to appoint the new leaders of the Armed Forces without the confirmation by the two chambers of the National Assembly, constitutes a disregard for the rule of law.
Mr. Falana who was a guest on Channels Television
Sunrise Daily said the provisions within section 218 of the constitution empower the National Assembly to approve the appointment of the Service Chiefs.
According to the rights lawyer, the new service chiefs have only been nominated by the president and are awaiting confirmation by the legislators.
Human Rights Lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment of new Service Chiefs following the resignation of the former officers.
In a statement personally signed by him on Wednesday, Mr Falana quoted a 2013 judgment which described the appointments of Service Chiefs without the concurrence of the National Assembly as illegal and unconstitutional.
Consequently, he said the Service Chiefs have only been nominated but not appointed.
“Yesterday, President Buhari was reported to have appointed new service chiefs for the armed forces.
“Upon a critical review of the law on the subject matter the members of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAP) have found that the appointments remain inchoate as President Muhammadu Buhari has not forwarded the names of the proposed service chiefs to the National Assembly for approval in strict compliance with the relevant provisions of the Constitution and the Armed Forces Act.
The Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari on the appointment of new service chiefs in the country.
According to a statement by the Governor, President Buhari’s actions have shown that he is a responsive leader who listens to the yearnings of the people.
While congratulating the newly appointed Service Chiefs, Governor Uzodimma urged them to live up to the expectations of their new portfolios.
Meanwhile, his counterpart in Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike has warned the new service chiefs against politicising the state of security by making alliances.