FEAR GRIPS MILITARY OVER IMMINENT PROBE, MASS RETIREMENT

There is serious apprehension in the military over imminent mass retirement of certain categories of senior officers as well as a probe to sanitise the armed forces by the incoming administration of Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd). General Buhari, Nigeria’s President-elect, is said to be in favour of massive shake-up in the military as one of his first major actions on assumption of office on May 29.
Military sources at Defence Headquarters, DHQ, told our correspondent in Abuja, that there is serious worry among senior officers over possible mass premature and compulsory retirements, especially of those who corruptly enriched themselves or seen to have abandoned professionalism for politics.
Another source at the Army Headquarters, AHQ, said the planned mass shake-up was already public knowledge in the military, which has become the subject of daily discussion in the various formations.
The source said although it was expected that the service chiefs would go, the fear was that several other senior officers in the category of major general are also going.
The fear, the source said was that many officers were alleged to have seriously been compromised in the past six years and Buhari could not trust that they would be absolutely loyal to his presidency.
The source at the AHQ pointed out that the military’s role in Buhari’s certificate saga was part of the issues now hunting senior officers, as the President elect may have viewed it as politics taken too far in the military to disown him.
The source said that it was already speculated that very recently promoted officers in the category of major generals and some senior brigade generals are likely to be favoured in Buhari’s appointments of service chiefs and other principal officers.
It was learnt that already, a small group has been set up quietly to work out the modalities for the shake-up and scout for possible replacement.
However, it was gathered that officers who allegedly mismanaged funds meant for military operations, those who colluded with crude oil thieves and those who engaged in political activities in breach of their professional duties are most likely to be affected.
Military sources said there is a serious stock-taking going on as well as reconciliation of figures, preparatory to the imminent probe by Buhari, who they believe, as a General, would not blink in dealing with the issues squarely.
There have been calls by some Nigerians, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, for Buhari to purge and reform the military.
General Obasanjo, in his congratulatory letter to Buhari after the March 28 election, had urged the President-elect to reform the military, insisting that so much harm has been done to many national institutions “including the military, which proudly nurtured you and me.”
Obasanjo, on assuming office in 1999, retired all officers who had held political appointments, an action thought to have helped prevent a possible coup after several military interventions in the nation’s history.
The military under President Goodluck Jonathan has received so much attention and involvement in governance to the extent that several senior officers allegedly became supper rich and comfortable, leading to their continuous pledge of loyalty to the President and vow against coup.
Buhari is a retired major general who had commanded divisions and held several positions in the Nigerian army before becoming head of state in 1983 after a coup.
He was retired in August 1985, following his ouster by his Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd). Therefore, it is believed that he knows what to do in the military and would not have to do anything extra to please them to command their loyalty; that is why he is going ahead with his plans to reform the military.
“The military has been politicised and bastardised in the last few years. Corruption has reached unprecedented levels with the oil theft in the Niger Delta and haphazard antiterror war.
“Nobody can say sincerely that the leadership of the military has lived up to expectations. “We need a professional military. We cannot be relying on neighbouring countries to be bailing us out of our internal issues.
Buhari will transform the military into an institution of pride for all Nigerians again.” The military has come under scrutiny in recent years over its seeming failure to curb terror and oil theft as well as corruption in its top hierarchy.
In the North East operations against Boko Haram, there were reports that monies meant for the allowances of troops were diverted into private pockets. Instead of the monthly allowance of N30,000, the troops were reportedly getting N15,000 with no satisfactory official explanation on what happened to the balance.
The troops were also allegedly being given only three sachets of “pure water” per day in the desert heat and lacked sleeping kits.
Their food supplies for the day were allegedly brought at once in the morning, a situation that saw them eating cold lunch and sour dinner.
Many troops were also battle-weary and suffered psychological trauma but did not get the necessary support from the authorities, leading to several cases of mutiny which resulted in death sentences for soldiers found guilty of refusing to fight.
At some stage last year, troops fired shots at the commander of the 7th Division in Maiduguri, Borno State, Ahmed Mohammed, a major general, who narrowly escaped death in the hands of the frustrated soldiers.
-National Mirror