FRESH facts have emerged on the events leading to last week’s rumoured resignation of Minister of Defence, Lt.-Gen. Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, and how the ‘crisis’ was resolved.
Sources told The Guardian that the row was over the command and structure of the Nigerian military and the suspicion by Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh, that Gusau may be planning to deal directly with the Service Chiefs – Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Tobiah Jonah Minimah (Army), Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin (Navy) and Air Marshal Adeola Amosu (Air Force) and give them operational directives.
So, instead of seeing the Minister of Defence and clearing his doubts, he (Air Chief Marshal Badeh) “broke protocol” and openly, in the presence of witnesses, said no to his immediate supervisor and the President’s political representative in the ministry.
Badeh had allegedly told Gusau in the presence of Minister of State for Defence, Chief Musiliu Obanikoro and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Alhaji Aliyu Isma’ila, that he can’t dictate to him or the Service Chiefs on the operations of the military, a comment that was seen as “procedurally rude.” The comment was interpreted by Gusau as “insubordination” which in a military is “greatly frowned at.”
Badeh’s outburst before Gusau angered the minister who lodged a formal complaint with President Goodluck Jonathan. Gusau allegedly told President Jonathan that he cannot work with a CDS and Service Chiefs who cannot subordinate themselves to the Minister of Defence, his (President’s) representative. This was interpreted by even some close to Gusau to mean that he tendered his letter of resignation, which he never did.
Piqued by the development, President Jonathan last Thursday sent his Chief of Staff, Brig.-Gen. Jones Oladehinde Arogbofa (rtd) for a rapprochement. Gen Arogbofa took the Chief of Defence Staff and Badeh with him. The duo first visited the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Alhaji Isma’ila.
The three then went to Gen. Gusau’s office where Isma’ila opted to leave but Gusau, who was with Obanikoro, prevailed on the Permanent Secretary to remain since he was a witness to the misunderstanding that led to the rumoured resignation. There, Badeh “apologised profusely” to Gusau over his comments which he never knew would trigger such a whirlwind of political turmoil. Sources told The Guardian that Gusau told Badeh “a part of his mind, which was a shock to the former Chief of the Air Staff.
But contrary to reports, Gusau was magnanimous in accepting the apologies tendered by Badeh and they immediately renewed the necessary commitment to work together for the good of the nation. And following the siege on Maiduguri by Boko Haram insurgents last Friday, Gusau same day hosted the meeting of the Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs to work out ways of managing the continuing violence in the north eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.
Operationally, the President sits at the top of the command structure of the military and passes operational orders to the Chief of Defence Staff through the Minister of Defence. The Chief of Defence Staff then passes such directives to the Service Chiefs for implementation by their various services.
But Badeh may have gone for a legalistic interpretation of his functions as contained in Part III, Section 7, sub-section 1 of the Armed Forces Act which states: “The Chief of Defence Staff shall, subject to the general direction of the President and of the National Assembly, be vested with the day-to-day command and general superintendence of the Armed Forces.”
Sources said Badeh’s interpretation of his office’s relationship with the Minister of Defence may have been that as the Chief of Defence Staff and the President’s principal military adviser, he reports directly to the nation’s Commander-in-Chief, though the Minister of Defence has direct administrative supervision. Essentially, it is his duty and responsibility as the CDS to formulate and execute policies, programmes towards the highest attainment of the military’s national security and operational competence. The CDS is assisted in this task by the Service Chiefs.
Many trace Badeh’s non-political interpretation of his relationship with the Minister of Defence to the long absence of a substantive minister. Others believe it had something to do with the initial position of President Jonathan on the need for a substantive Minister of Defence. In the ensuing anxiety over the long absence of a substantive Minister of Defence last year, President Jonathan dismissed it as a non-issue during last September’s presidential media chat. President Jonathan said: “Those who handle defence issues are the Service Chiefs, not a civilian who handles administrative duties. That is why I don’t envy being a Service Chief. There is no way you can do away with the Service Chiefs. But we can even do without a Minister of Defence. You can do away with Minister of Defence.”
But as a Service Chief, Air Chief Marshal Badeh is not used to working under the direct supervision of a substantive Minister of Defence, not to talk of dealing with Gusau who is a hands-on, assertive and experienced former Chief of Army Staff and three-time former National Security Adviser. A vacuum was created in the ministry since June 22, 2012 when Dr. Haliru Mohammed Bello was relieved of his duty as the substantive Minister of Defence. The vacuum was only filled on March 5, 2014 when Gusau was appointed Minister of Defence.
And Badeh was appointed as Chief of the Air Staff on September 8, 2012, almost three months after the exit of Dr Bello. Former Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Olusola Obada, who herself was relieved of her appointment last September, was never officially designated as Minister of Defence. It was only at the exit of Obada that President Jonathan designated Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, as Supervising Minister. This meant that Maku was a “visiting” Minister as he still had full responsibility to his core ministry while exercising oversight functions over the Ministry of Defence. And Badeh was appointed as Chief of Defence Staff on January 16, 2014. So, Badeh was neither briefed nor had he any institutional knowledge of how to deal with a substantive minister.
Many believe that Badeh may also have reacted to Gusau the way he did because he may have been acting out the frustration of Defence Headquarters that is battling with the issue of having the fight against the Boko Haram involving the three Services, Army, Navy and Air Force, without being directly in charge of the operations. Though the war against the Boko Haram sect is a joint-service operation, it is under the direct control of the Army. Defence Headquarters’ role is “supervisory.”
He may have suspected that the Minister of Defence may be planning to deal directly with the Service Chiefs behind him or giving them operational orders, which means bypassing him and rendering his office and Defence Headquarters inactive.
Others believe that as the top military commander in Nigeria, Badeh ought to have known or be briefed on the political implication of saying no directly to an appointee and representative of the President and Commander-in-Chief. The defence minister exercises political direction over the military and supervises the activities of the tri-service Defence Headquarters and the three services – Army, Navy and the Air Force and all the training and operational institutions under the three services.
The minister also represents the President and Commander-in-Chief as the chairman of the various councils for the Services. They include the Nigerian Army Council, Navy Board and the Air Council. The councils act as the governing body of the services responsible for the direction of policy. It is also the confirmation body for promotion and retirement of officers. Statutorily, the Minister of Defence acts as the chairman of the councils. Statutorily, the minister is also the chairman of the governing boards of tri-service institutions, including the National Defence College, Armed Forces Command and Staff College, the Nigerian Defence Academy, Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, Oshodi and the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON).
Source: Guardian
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