By Akinwale Kasali
A Group under the aegis of Nigeria Progressive Retired Security Operatives Front has urged President Bola Tinubu to be cautious, vigilant and decisive in choosing his Security Chiefs that will run the nation’s security architecture.
Speculations are that Tinubu is expected to name his new Service Chiefs this week, prompting the Group to issue a statement in this regard.
Advising the President to avoid the theory of the “slippery banana peel” in choosing his Service Chiefs, the Group in a Statement said that the President is about to commit ‘grievous error’ if he insists on picking from a list of officers who are part of the entrenched forces that keep Nigerian security stunted.
The statement signed by Col. Samuel Alabi and Mohammed Suleimani, the President and Secretary of the Group mentioned in particular, senior military officer from Lagos who is said to have spent close to N500million in bribe to become the Chief of Army Staff.
“We are aware of the desperation of some corrupt and inept top military officers. They have committed no fewer than N600million to bribe some people in order to ensure they secure the posts of Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Air Staff and the Chief of Defense Staff, (CDS)”.
The Group urged President Tinubu to be careful not to appoint “men of yesteryears whose conducts continue to fuel terrorism and insurgency”
It added that the current service Chiefs and some of the GOCs are part of a group that wanted to thwart the May 29 handover date.
“They did everything possible to prevent the May 29 handover. They used threat and flagged off false intelligence to confuse and even intimidate former President Mohammadu Buhari to ensure he would not hand over to President Tinubu
The same group have been bribing political figures with millions of naira to ensure they get the slots of Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff and Chief of Air Staff.
“They want to lay landmines for the current administration. They are no longer professional soldiers but business men. They are stupendously rich. They are desperate to influence the process with money. This is a poison President Tinubu must avoid.”
The group said President Tinubu will be making a “terrible mistake” if he appoints a Police man as National Security Adviser adding that no Military General will ever listen to a Retired Police Officer as NSA alluding to the speculations that former Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu would be appointed as the NSA.
It stressed that there has been a lot of fault lines in the Armed Forces created by the old order which ensures certain positioning for godsons aligned to the old order which ensures to fight for the control of the Armed Forces through an unimaginary existing structures they manage.
The group said there have been cases of so many brilliant and qualified officers who have been thrown out of service via this corrupt structure and will always defend such actions with excuses of no space at the top for promotion or lack of geopolitical slots but mediocre officers loyal to the structure are never affected by these templates.
It has, however, cautioned Tinubu not to appoint any of the current Serving Chiefs as the Chief of Defense Staff, CDS.
