BY By Hamilton Nwosa (Head, The New Diplomat’s Business and Poll Tracking Desk)
Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Yusuf Buratai, has reacted to the call for the sack of service chiefs.
Buratai, speaking in a special interview with TheCable and THISDAY/ARISE in Lagos on Tuesday, said while not questioning the wisdom of the national assembly, sacking the security heads would not solve the problem of insecurity in the country.
He said: “the commander-in-chief is the right arbiter, and he knows where it pinches, he knows where the problems are. I think the decision should be left to him. He should not be pushed or prompted in this regard.”
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Speaking further, Buratai said the Boko Haram insurgency was at a phase where everyone, including lawmakers must collectively work together to end the terror reign.
“I am not saying this because I am the Chief of Army Staff and I do not want to leave. No, that is not the issue. It is beyond that because this is a national issue, an issue of national pride and national interest.
Recall that, Members of the House of Representatives had called on the service chiefs to resign their positions.
This formed part of the resolutions reached after the lawmakers had a debate on the nation’s security during plenary in Abuja.
A member of the House, Abubakar Fulata, had informed his colleagues in the chamber that the service chiefs had outlived their usefulness.
According to him, it will be to the detriment of the country if these men keep doing the same thing repeatedly and expect a different result in tackling the security challenges Nigeria is grappling with.
Presiding over the plenary, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila put the question, as moved by Futala, to the lawmakers whether the service chiefs should resign and leave their offices.
Although there was a divide among the members in their response, a majority of the lawmakers answered in the affirmative and the resolution was passed.
