By Group Captain Saheed Shehu (rtd)
I reiterate, without any reservation, that within the seniority range of 38 to 39 Regular Courses of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA ), the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the Service Chiefs picked by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are among the best, if not the best among their peers.
The President was very well advised by a person or persons with very good knowledge of the crop of officers within that seniority bracket. My relative seniority by entry into NDA, my tours of duty as Instructor at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji has put me in close proximity with these officers and to measure them up close and personal. They are quality no doubt, and Mr President did well in his picks.
Having said and applauded that, as a Consulting practitioner of Security Sector Reform , an advocate of the concept of objective democratic control of the Armed Forces, as well as a retired military officer who desires maintaining professionalism, and above all, a Nigerian who wants to contribute his own bit, I must observe my unease that the appointment of the CDS and Service Chiefs, uncharacteristically and surprisingly, was announced together with the appointment of some junior Unit Commanders.
It is my honest belief that this was wrong, professionally and from the view of military tradition and even the concept of objective democratic control of the Armed Forces. The President, as the Commander-in-Chief, has the unalienable constitutional power and authority to choose from among serving Nigerian military officers and appoint his Service Chiefs.
But below the Service Chiefs, military tradition, good practice and professionalism requires that any other appointment or military posting is done by the Service Chiefs. Of course, its still within Mr President, C-in-C’s powers to have his preferences for certain officers to occupy certain positions, especially those positions related to the office of Mr President, his person and his family.
In such instances, it is good practice for the President to privately pass his request to the Minister of Defence (best option) or alternatively to the Services to post certain officers to certain offices but the official announcement (the posting signal should be issued by the relevant Service. In the most ideal of situations, in fact, it is not unusual to receive a request to “get me a very good officer/soldier for so so position” and the Services’ Secretariats will do a thorough job to put their best foot forward.
The whole idea is to remove or at least mask the impression that the President or any political master had micro-managed postings and appointments of junior Commanders within the military. The most important, most strategic appointments within the military duly recognozed by the Constitution, are the appointments of the CDS and the Service Chiefs and Mr President should confine himself to picking those, leaving all other lower appointments (including the CDI) to the Services with the concurrence of Minister of Defence.
May the Armed Forces of Nigeria become better, more capable and more professional.
Group Captain Saheed Shehu (rtd) is an International Defence and Security Consultant and member of Security Committee, APC-PCC