Political Interference And The Bastardization Of Nigerian Military

The President in most countries including Nigeria, also doubles as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the country. This position empowers the President to hire and fire the heads of the various arms of the country’s military.

In most countries, to avoid the abuse of such powers, a body is by law empowered to scrutinize and select candidates from which the president can make his picks. Also, some procedures are emplaced for the firing of the Service heads before expiration of their tenures.

It is however pertinent to state that the hiring of a Service head in Nigeria is a statutory provision that is totally independent of the process of retirement of other officers in the armed forces. There is nowhere in the world where a Service Chief’s nomination would automatically lead to the mandatory retirement of another set of officers from service except as prescribed by their laws. Both events are not mutually exclusive.

 Recently in Nigeria, it could be observed that the nomination of Service Chiefs of the Armed Forces has resulted to an avalanche of premature retirement of senior officers from the military. This illegality and unconscionable act started precisely in 2021, when President Muhammadu Buhari overlooked members of 33rd and 34th Regular Courses of the Armed Forces and picked Late Major General Attahiru, a member of 35th Regular Course, as the Chief of Army Staff. Members of 33rd and 34th Regular Courses were asked to put in their letters of resignation and go home prematurely, contrary to the laws of the Federal Civil Service and the Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service for Officers, which stipulates 35 years or certain age limits on certain ranks, whichever comes first, for retirement.

A few months later, following the sudden death of Major General Attahiru in an air crash, Major General Farouk Yahaya, a member of 37 Regular Course, was appointed Chief of Army Staff, over and above members of 35 and 36 Regular Courses. This also led to the compulsory and unlawful retirement from service of members of 35 and 36 Regular Courses. In addition, the Nigerian Navy had regular commissioned officers from the Naval College extraction that were barely two months senior to the NDA 37 Regular Course, and they were unjustly and unlawful compelled to also join the retirement train.

Sequel to the two waves of retirements resulting from the change of Service Chiefs in the Nigerian Army, about 400 officers were sacrificed prematurely.

By the time, President Tinubu took over in 2023, members of 37 Regular Course were the most senior in the military, having retired all members of 36 Regular Course. Naturally one would have thought that caution would have been exercised by the President in choosing his Service Chiefs from 37 or 38 Regular Courses on resumption of office, but the President exercised his discretion in bad faith and chose his Service Chiefs from 39 Regular Course, again slaughtering the careers of another 200 set of officers of 37 and 38 Regular Courses, on the altar of political expediency rather than military professionalism.

Between 2021 and 2023, Nigeria has lost over 600 senior officers to political interference. 

A few days ago, the president announced change of Service Chiefs from 39 to 40 and 41 Regular Courses. Following precedents, It then means that members of 39 and 40 Regular Courses, numbering about 300 would kiss their epaulettes good bye, as they bow out of Service. This would bring to about 900 officers forcefully and unjustly retired from Service since 2021 due to change of guard. In all these cases, the officers have served only between 31 and 33 years instead of the 35 years prescribed by law.

The action of the presidents in unjustly terminating the careers of officers who were diligently doing their jobs in protecting the nation and the democracy that the presidents are enjoying could be said to be a reckless action carried out recklessly, without sparing even the slightest thought on the impact of their actions on the affected officers and their families. 

How does one begin to comprehend that having expended the better part of one’s life in serving your nation, you will be rewarded with such indignity and traumatization? 

The thought becomes even more painful when one realizes that the whole idea behind the actions of the presidents was to emplace their tribesman or protégés as a Service Chief. In doing this they do not care how junior the appointed officer is in terms of seniority, the number of officers that would be adversely affected, the implications of their actions on the psyche of the retiring and serving officers or even the impact of their actions on the professionalism of the armed forces.

This new action of the president is something that the nation must rise up to resist or risk having a beleaguered and tribalized armed forces incapable of meeting the security needs of this nation. 

The nation does not belong to the presidents neither does the military. So they must not be allowed to ruin an essential national institution like the military, which has become the bulwarks of this nation.

Some beneficiaries of this evil set up may argue that the presidents were acting within their powers in picking anyone as a service chief, but no law permits them to terminate or bring about the termination of the careers of those that put their lives on the line for the nation. 

Even when a law allows one to exercise discretion, it is expected that the discretion would be exercised positively and in good faith, and not to the detriment of the larger majority.

It must be brought to the notice of the president that the way both him and the past president have exercised their discretion in picking service chiefs and the unjust retirement of other officers have brought anguish to many and is detrimental to the efficiency of the armed forces of Nigeria. The President therefore needs to exercise utmost care and restraint in making decisions concerning the choice of Service Chiefs in the future.

It is also imperative to state that there is nothing in our rules that compels the government to retire officers or prompt officers to resign on account of the nomination of a Service Chief. The President should stop this evil practice It is unconscionable and destroys the very fabric that holds the military together.

The National Assembly must also rise up to help deliver the military from the men that are supposed to protect her, the president and Commander – in – Chief. They should look at how to amend the relevant laws to shield the military from the vitiating effects of unwholesome political interference. 

The National Assembly must act to stop the president from single handedly hand picking his cronies, protégés and tribesmen into the delicate offices of Service Chiefs. A system should be emplaced that will screen suitably qualified officers and recommend to the president for nomination. Moreso, compulsory retirements on account of the appointment of Service Chiefs must be stopped. 

Those that are saddled with the security of our nation cannot have the albatross of job insecurity hanging on their necks. 

The President and the National Assembly must act now to stop any further purge in the military resulting from this recent appointment of Service Chiefs. The Armed Forces have bled too much. It is time to stop.  Enough is Enough!

Promise Dappa, a retired Commodore in the Nigerian Navy and public affairs analyst, wrote in the article from Port Harcourt, Rivers State.