By Madu Onuorah
The race for Chief of Army Staff (COAS) is taking a new shape as Nigerians clamour for the emergence of Major General Ben Ahanotu, Chief of Policy and Plans, Army Headquarters (AHQ). General Ahanotu is the same Course, Course 35, with late COAS, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru.
General Attahiru, alongside the 10 other military officers who died in the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) transport aircraft in Kaduna crash of Friday evening, were buried on Saturday amidst military honours and wailings by family members, friends and sympathisers, at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja.
For those who are pushing for General Ahanotu, his emergence would engender national unity while stabilizing the Army, ensuring continuity of commitment, focus and competence.
Ahanotu, who hails from Anambra State, served as General Officer Commanding (GOC), 3 Division of Nigerian Army.
Normally, whoever is the Chief of Policy and Plans, AHQ, always acts on behalf of the COAS whenever he is on leave. He is usually the next in seniority after the COAS.
The only thing actually standing against Geenral Ahanotu as a frontline candidate to emerge as COAS is the fact that he is Igbo from Anambra State and the government of the President, Muhammadu Buhari, is not usually disposed to appointing Igbos to sensitive positions especially in the nation’s defence and security agencies.
Also, it is seen in the corridors of power in Abuja that with the increasing agitation and attacks on security agents and formations by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN), it would be too dangerous to give such a coveted sensitive security position to a person of South East extraction. Igbos are usually suspected of being either tolerant or supportive of IPOB activities.
But the issue that may be the major stumbling block for General Ahanotu is that General Lucky Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff, is Igbo from Delta State.
According to a source, “appointing General Ahanotu may be expecting too much from President Buhari. Remember that when Irabor was appointed, many Nigerians, especially Igbos, thought he was from Edo State, which was the reason Igbos initially lampooned Buhari, saying they have been marginalized again.
“The issue of General Irabor being Igbo was used to neutralize the marginalization cries. So, I doubt if there is any way this government would appoint both the Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of Army Staff from the Igbo ethnic group and two contagious States of Delta and Anambra. I think that the best bet is that the government would leave General Irabor and look for another area, the North you may guess, in appointing the next COAS.”
The source added: “Ordinarily, General Ahanotu can unarguably be called the best man for the job, after all, he is the most experienced senior officers currently serving in the Nigerian Army and he fully understands the current ongoing war against the Boko Haram/Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorism in the Northeast. Remember that General Ahanotu was the Commander of the military Operation that captured the founder of Boko Haram, Mohammed Yusuf, and his followers at their hideout in Maiduguri in 2009 before handing them over to the Police.”
Unexpectedly, there has been ongoing display of public support for General Ahanotu to emerge as COAS. Yushau Shuaibu, Publisher of PRNigeria who works closely with defence and security agencies issued an unusual Social Media post on Sunday, in a rare show of support.
According to Shaibu, “I sincerely join my brothers Jaafar Jaafar and Abdulaziz Abdulaziz in the campaign that every Nigerian has a right to live anywhere and aspire to any position of responsibility. Not all Igbo are Supporters of Kanu’s Biafra Republic or IPOB members.
“Therefore, Major General Ben Ahanotu, COPP, as one of the most senior Nigerian Army officers and from Anambra State can be considered for the vacant post of Chief of Army Staff.
He is not only a patriotic Nigerian and courageous Military Commander who captured Boko Haram founder alive and handed him safely to the police in 2009.
“He also speaks major Nigerian languages fluently including Hausa. We are Nigerians and proud of our diversity.”
Also, a security expert, Kabiru Adamu, on Sunday said in choosing the next Chief of Army Staff, President Buhari should jettison ethnicity and consider superiority, merit and experience of the officer in the theatre of war first, adding that it was expedient for the President to prove people who are saying he hates the South-East wrong by appointing someone from the region.
This will quell the agitation in the region, he stated.
According to him, “incidentally, the COPP represents a part of Nigeria that has been crying over the last six years that they are not represented within the security architecture, I think it is a good opportunity for this administration to show clearly that he reflects national character in his appointment.
“National character is very important; merit is also absolutely important. Nigeria is very challenged at the moment. Some will say we are at war. If we are at war, we need a military leader that can deliver victory to us in the war we are in. What are the two major issues the military leader, especially the Army should focus. First is terrorism and then banditry. The role of military in these two issues is absolutely important.
“We can also add the third one which is the secessionists’ agitation that have been existing in the South East which are not cropping up in the South West. Now, in all these three issues, the army in particular will play a key role, so, it must be somebody who can deliver all these three things. More importantly, he should be able to work with other security agencies to ensure a coordinated effort in handling these 3 issues.”
Apart from General Ahanotu, since Saturday evening, just few hours after the burial of General Attahiru, Social Media posts started claiming that Major General Danjuma Ali-Keffi, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division of Nigerian Army, Kaduna, have been appointed as COAS. In fact, with the way the campaign emerged, Nigerians believed that a kite was being flown as “there is no smoke without fire.”
However, General Keffi, who is from Nasarawa State, has one major baggage: He is not among the most senior officers in service of the Nigerian Army. In fact, he has more than 30 senior Major Generals above him in seniority.
The implication is that if he is appointed, all his seniors will leave and proceed on retirement as by tradition, no senior is expected to serve under his junior.
A source said: “Appointing such a much junior officer may lead to the retirement of about 35 Generals and Nigeria cannot afford such clean sweep under the current circumstances of serious security challenges across the country. Nigeria needs all her tough and experienced officers now more than ever.
“But if the President goes ahead to choose him, the consequence will force these brilliant officers to retire at a period we need more hands in the prosecution of diverse operations across the country. I don’t think we need such mass retirement now.
“You know the President has the discretion to appoint anyone he so wishes with advice or probably a nomination from the Minister of Defence. Apart from Seniority in service, officers so considered must have been grounded in military operations and intelligence.”
Others who are in the race include Major General AM Aliyu, who is of Regular Course 36 from Gombe State, is the Chief of Administration, Army Headquarters and former Director, Foreign Liaison at Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) responsible for processing actionable intelligence for military operations.
Another officer is Major General Ibrahim Manu Yusuf of Regular Course 37, from Yobe State. He is Chief of Operation, Army Headquarters and former Force Commander, Multinational Joint Taskforce (MNJTF).
General Yusuf, who was also a former Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, was also a Directing Staff in several military institutions including Nigerian Defence College (NDC), Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), and Nigerian Army Peacekeeping Centre (NAPKC), Jaji.
Major General Faruk Yahaya of Regular Course 37, from Zamfara State, a former General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 1st Division of the Nigerian Army, is the current Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai in the Northeast.
Apart from the above, there are other senior officers whom the cap of the COAS would fit.
But a source cautioned that this unusual public interest in who becomes the COAS and the clamour for the emergence of their favoured candidates may be jumping the gun.
“Remember that General Attahiru died just three days ago. The nation is still mourning his loss and that of the other 10 who died in the air crash. We have to wait for at least seven days of mourning to elapse. The days of mourning is still here. The family is still staying at the Flag House, the official residence of the COAS where the three-day prayer was held on Monday. The Army will have to make alternative arrangement for the family.
“In any case, the government of President Buhari is usually slow in filling vacancies. And it is expected that this would be no exception. In fact, it will be a miracle is a new name is announced before the end of Friday this week. So, by the time the final decision to be taken, the permutations may change and new facts may have overtaken the one currently trending and a new kid might emerge on the block.
“Everything lies on the office and the person of President Buhari. His words or body language would surely make the final call. For now, let us remember that you do not decide who become COAS or the leadership of the Armed Forces of Nigeria in the open, not to talk of the media. In fact, the appearance of these names may even play against them who knows.”