The service chiefs should go , they have done their best - Analyst tells buhari

As President Muhammadu Buhari marks is 5th year in office, a prominent journalist and political affairs analyst, Wale Odunsi, has asked the Nigerian leader to sack the country's service chiefs

President Buhari appointed the service chiefs on Monday, July 13, 2015. Almost 5 years after, the military chiefs are still in their position even though they have spent the mandatory 35 years in service.

There have been calls from different quarters for the president to do away with the service chiefs and appoint new ones to inject fresh ideas into the military.

This is as Nigeria continues to battle large scale insurgency in the northeast, banditry in northwest and attacks by armed herdsmen on farming communities in the north-central.

Odunsi said: “The truth is that majority of Nigerians, including members of your party, All Progressives Congress (APC), are hoping that you will order their long-overdue exit.

“Some are of the opinion that you probably want to retain them till the end of your tenure in 2023, a mockery of the quartet's prolonged stay in office.

“Word on the street is that since you assumed office, security has not really improved. The grouse of the complainants cannot be wholly countered because the safety of lives and property was a major factor that made millions supported and voted you into power. Being a former General, they anticipated that you would bring your warfare tactics to bear.

“Alas, you seem overwhelmed, Sir. We have lost count of the number of times you ordered the military to wipe out insurgents. Even your directives accompanied by ultimatum did not yield desired results. At times it appeared that Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been decimated, the sects remind security agencies of their existence.”

He noted that apart from the issue of insecurity, the service chiefs have exceeded their Run Out Dates (ROD).

“This is 2020, their mandatory 35 years in the military have elapsed. There are capable replacements to choose from.

“Their retention has also precipitated senior officers leaving service without reaching higher positions, save Lt. General L.O. Adeosun.

“The 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd and 33rd Regular Course (RC) members were reportedly affected.

“Nigeria's security situation is dismal, Generals Olonisakin, Buratai, Abubakar and Ibas should go; they have done their best,” he added.

Meanwhile, a report by SB Morgen (SBM) Intelligence has revealed that between the year 2011 and 2020, Nigerians paid at least N7 billion as ransom to kidnappers.

The report relied on data collected from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, the Council for Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker, newspaper reports and SBM intel’s own countrywide network of researchers.