Our Reporter
A Group, the Coalition of Civil Society for Peace and Good Governance in Africa, (COSPAGA), has come down hard on the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, over his comment that Service Chiefs would remain in office as long as the president is satisfied with them.
According to the coalition, the presidential aide’s statement was reckless, as it flies in the face of consensus of opinion, which supports the immediate sack of the Service Chiefs.
While cautioning public office holders against making comments that may portray the government as insensitive, the Group insisted that the right and proper thing to do now, was the removal of the military chiefs, and appointment of a new set with fresh perspectives, ideas and strategies.
The Coalition said contrary to Shehu’s position, the Service Chiefs were not employees of the president, strictly speaking, but Nigerians, whose taxes,it said, were used to pay them.
It contended that, since the President was elected by the people, whose mandate he holds in trust, their will should be respected and acted upon.
“We received with rude and outright shock the statement credited to Mallam Garba Shehu, President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman on Arise TV on Monday, where he stated that the Service Chiefs will remain in office as long as Buhari was satisfied with them.
“In our respective view, nothing can be more reckless and insensitive than such a statement.
“We appeal to Mr President to sack and replace him.
“Ordinarily, he ought to know that the Nigerian people are the employers of the president and the service chiefs with him inclusive, hence it’s not in the place of the president to be satisfied with the performance of the Service Chiefs but the Nigerian people who have since taken a sound and loud position that the service chiefs must be sacked immediately going by current developments in the country,” the group said.
“The President and the Service Chiefs are paid and funded from tax payers’ money, and must respect the wishes of Nigeria,” the group noted.
It added: “As it stands in Nigeria today,the call is loud and clear that the Service Chiefs be sacked and we urge the president to as matter national emergency, respect the wishes of Nigerian people by sacking them.
“While we appreciate the fact that sacking the Service Chiefs may not automatically end the war against insurgence and insecurity in Nigeria, we strongly believe that appointment of new Service Chiefs that reflects federal character will usher in hope to the nation and will set in template total turnaround for our national security.”
