By Aiyeku Timothy
The Coalition of North East Elders for Peace and Development has stated that the continued retention of Service Chiefs many years after the expiration of their retirement date is unconstitutional.
The Northern elders warned that it could weaken the morale of military personnel and the front line troops.
In a statement signed by its national coordinator, Zana Goni, the group lament the inability of President Muhammadu Buhari to yield to the desires of Nigerians by announcing the removal of service chiefs in his new year message.
The elders asked Buhari to give a New Year’s gift of fresh security chiefs to Nigerians and to do so in line with the country’s federal character principle as his actions are tantamount to downplaying the insecurity in the country
The coalition also warned that the appointment of almost only Northerners as managers of Nigeria’s security architecture was morally and constitutionally wrong and may have emboldened criminals and bandits.
“At the moment, the most important thing for every Nigerian is security. They want their lives to be protected first. The National Assembly has since understood this and that is why as representatives of the people, they have called for more robust, efficient and effective security management for the country.
“We still stand by the position of the National Assembly where members unanimously resolved that the security chiefs be relieved of their positions to pave way for not only fresh hands but also fresh ideas in our security management strategies.”
“Sacking the current chiefs and subsequently replacing them with new ones will automatically change the game of insecurity as the morale of fighting officers will be boosted, new strategies will be launched, besides the flow of intelligence information among the security agencies.”
The group, however, warned that overhauling the nation’s security management team, without increasing the defence budget will undermine all efforts to improve security.
