Anxiety, Uncertainty in Military over Service Chiefs’ Succession Battles

As President Muhammadu Buhari winds down the first stanza of his administration, top military officers have begun jostling for the positions of service chiefs.

Already, there are reports of a likely shake-up in the military during the second term of the president, which begins on Wednesday, as the tenures of some of the service chiefs have expired.

Our checks at the weekend showed that some of the high-ranking military officers have started lobbying to replace their superior officers.

The subterranean succession battles have triggered simmering tensions in the military, sources said.

The unusual situation was triggered by a recent rumour that  while Buhari was considering renewing  the tenures of the service chiefs, for a record third time, some of his close aides and associates opted for an overhaul of the leadership of the nation’s armed forces to infuse new confidence in efforts in tackling the insecurity in many parts of the country.

The president had argued recently that it was unhealthy to change service chiefs when the country was in a state of war with insurgents. But he admitted that there are ambitious officers who were aiming to succeed the service chiefs.

The situation has thrown up lobby groups who are determined to ensure that the service chiefs do not return after the May 29 inauguration.

The groups, acting on behalf of senior officers eyeing such positions, have been secretly reaching out to influential government officials, top-ranking politicians and powerful traditional rulers, among others, to convince the president on the need to appoint fresh hands to run the military establishments.

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Gabriel Olonisakin, who is  a member of the Combatant Regular Course 25, is believed to have spent 40 years in service as against the statutory 35 years, having enlisted in the Nigerian Defence Academy for cadet training on January 3, 1979.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, a member of Course 26, has also spent 40 years in service, having joined the Navy in 1979.

His colleague, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, a member of Course Cadet Military Training Course (CMTC 5) joined the Air Force in November 1979.  He has also spent 40 years in service.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Yusuf Buratai, a member of the Course 29, has spent 38 years in service.

In January, 1981, Buratai attended the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna as a member of the 29 Regular Combatant Course (29 RC) where he was given the prestigious appointment of Cadet Sergeant Major (CSM).

The major argument being put forward against the continued stay of the service chiefs has remained that the war against insurgency has persisted owing to the fact that “they have run out of ideas.”
Source: THISDAY