*Tasks president to drop service chiefs in first step
*Says any reform in security without sack of security chiefs won’t achieve expected results
By Joseph Erunke
ABUJA-A support group of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC,has thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for accepting to restructure the country’s security architecture following the worsening state of insecurity.
The group under the aegis of APC Consolidation Forum,said it hailed the president following assurances it received from some respected Nigerians that the president would soon do the needful by restructuring the security system of the country with a view to emplacing effective policing.
The APC Consolidation Forum,in a statement, Friday, in Abuja,signed by its National Coordinator,Dr Usman Muhammad and National Youth Leader, Hajiya Hauwa Malakachaa,respectively, appealed to the president to stand firm in his current position to effect changes in the security architecture and not allowing some people to influence his decision.
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Expressing joy at the president’s current disposition in the security circle,the group said the president’s planned action had confirmed its held position that he had a listening ears.
“We received this assurances with lots of joy and confidence that Mr President will not fail us.
“We said it before that Mr President is a listening president and will hear our cry to holistically provide solutions to the many security challenges bedeviling the North East in particular and the North at large, to the glory of Almighty Allah. We are beginning to see changes,” it said in the statement.
While regretting that for long,the country’s growth and development had been hindered principally by insecurity bedeviling it,the APC Consolidation Forum tasked the president to take first step in the restructuring by relieving the service chiefs of their positions.
According to the group, the continuous retention of the security chiefs in spite of expirations of their tenures and years of service in the nation’s armed forces had weakened morale among officers and men of the service, a development it noted,was contributing in no small measure to the Nigeria’s lingering security problems.
“Mr President should wield the big stick by sacking the Service Chiefs and replace them with younger officers who will bring new ideas to the table, enough is enough.
“We make this suggestion because of what we are seeing on the ground. The morale of fighting officers and soldiers is very low because of carrier stagnation and lack of motivation and no armed forces in the world can effectively win a war with this condition.
“While we must admit that sacking the service chiefs may not be the only solution to resolving the current insecurity quagmire , it is the first step to go,considering what we have on ground in the North East,” it insisted.
The statement read:”We wish to specially thank President Muhammed Buhari,the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria for the silent steps he has initiated towards restructuring the country’s security architecture. Our commendation came based on the assurances we have received from some respected Nigerians on the president’s ongoing plans to restructure the security architecture of the country soonest.
“We received this assurances with lots of joy and confidence that Mr President will not fail us.
“We said it before that Mr President is a listening president and will hear our cry to holistically provide solutions to the many security challenges bedeviling the North East in particular and the North at large, to the glory of Almighty Allah. We are beginning to see changes.
“However, we want to passionately appeal to our dear president not to allow anyone convince him on just cosmetic restructuring of the Armed Forces, because a sick-fighting horse cannot treat itself.
Mr President should wield the big stick by sacking the Service Chiefs and replace them with younger officers who will bring new ideas to the table, enough is enough.
“We make this suggestion because of what we are seeing on the ground. The morale of fighting officers and soldiers is very low because of carrier stagnation and lack of motivation and no armed forces in the world can effectively win a war with this condition.
“While we must admit that sacking the service chiefs may not be the only solution to resolving the current insecurity quagmire , it is the first step to go,considering what we have on ground in the North East.
“The current service chiefs have over stayed and have lost ideas and commitment to change the game.
” Most officers who are in a strategic positions of policy implementation have also lost interest in discharging their duties because they are not sure of growing since the service chiefs are still in charge. They are only doing eye service.
“As it stands today, directive from the service chiefs are being violated at will because of lack of zeal. These are the bane of security in the country.
“Until the president ppoints fresh hands with full commitment and out-of-the box thinking,we won’t get it right in the security sector.
“Mr President, the situation of North East children is getting worse by the day, the plight of women in the North East is getting worse. The conditions of the people in the region is getting worst. These, we are therefore appealing to to the president to as a matter of urgency,sack the service chiefs and replace them with younger and committed officers.
“This should be the first step in the restructuring. We remain your ardent supporters and we must tell you the truth that Nigerians are tired of excuses from the service chiefs.”
