Complains galore in the Nigerian military circles over Buhari's decision to extend tenure of service chiefs (Details, pics)

A report by Daily Trust indicates that the recent decision by President Muhammadu Buhari to extend the tenure of service chiefs (has stirred controversy, not only within the military, but even within political circles.

According to the report, complaints in military circles revolve around fears that the recent extension of tenures of the military service chiefs will lead to delayed promotions, untimely retirement of promising officers. There were expectations in many quarters that the president would inject new blood to carry on from where those at the helm of affairs would stop, considering that their tenure had variously expired.

Critics say these issues would invariably affect the multi-faceted challenges affecting the Nigerian security architecture at the moment.

The alleged marked resurgence of Boko Haram attacks characterised by ambushes on military personnel and humanitarian agencies, as well as unfettered attacks on civilian population such as the one in a mosque in Mubi, Adamawa state where over 60 people were killed in one fell swoop, have prompted questions over the decision to extend the tenure of the service chiefs. .Beyond this, critics of the extension argue that in advanced societies, almost all the service chiefs would have without prompting resigned in the last couple of weeks.

A senior military officer quoted in the report, who chose anonymity, said: “The military has an unwritten principle of ‘soldier go, soldier come’. No-one is indispensable.

"Officers due to take responsibility of service chiefs would have to go now, based on ‘age on rank’ without moving to higher ranks. For instance, Buratai is of 29 course; so officers of 30th to 33rd would be retired between now and October next year, including a GOC and key people at the NDA and the Defense Headquarters.”

“Of course not everybody would attain that peak in service but if one of your own, someone you grew through the ranks with, rises to the zenith, the credit goes to the whole set; you will feel it is you but a situation when all of you were swept at once, it is devastating,” he said.

He also said the change in guard in the military hierarchy comes with a lot of psychological satisfaction.

A retired Major-General, Garba Ali, says upcoming Nigerian military officers should not be panic because of recent developments, saying it will not in any way affect their subsequent promotions. He said promotion in the Nigerian Army is being done based on some criteria and requirements and that once an officer meets the requirements, he or she would be promoted. He added that going by the discipline in the Nigerian military system, nothing would change the system.

Also, another retired General, Bashir Salihi Magashi, said any officer that is conversant with Nigerian Army’s terms and conditions of service would not complain about his/her subsequent promotions because the army is strictly being governed by them.

His words: “Once you finish training from Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), there is career progression up to the rank of general. It is only for you to meet the requirements and you will be awarded with next rank. But there is time for everything; each promotion has its own time.”

Reacting to the news, spokesman for Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said: “Mr. President himself being a retired military officer, who rose to the post of Major General and Head of State should have better understanding of the fact that other officers’ careers would be affected negatively with the decision he took, which of course is not fair and is professionally wrong.”

“I don’t see the reason for extending the tenure of the current service chiefs except and unless he would prove there are no other competent officers to continue the battle against Boko Haram. The present service chiefs are mere instruments in the hands of Mr. President to perpetrate himself and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in power in 2019.”

But the resident, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shetima, said there was nothing extraordinary about the development.

He said: “Considering the great job the service chiefs have been doing in terms of containing insurgencies across the country, they need to be encouraged. Bringing in new people now would not help our situation, as a nation, because the new ones would have to start learning.”

He added that since the tenure of the Buhari government would soon end, there was no need to change a winning team.

On its part, a pro-democracy and non-governmental organisation, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) criticised the extension, saying, “it will inevitably create ethical issues of skewed reward system; it will create increasing levels of lack of professionalism and would ultimately lead to personalisation and politicisation of the constitutional offices of service chiefs.”

In a related development, recent media reports claims that there are grumblings within the ruling APC, over the president's inability to appoint party chieftains as new federal government agencies board members as 2017 winds down.