By Eric Elezuo

Following months of pressure from well meaning Nigerians and organisations, President Muhammadu Buhari finally succumbed, and fired the four-man squad service chiefs comprising the Chief of Defence Staff, General gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Commodore Ibok Ette-Ekwe Ibas and Chief of Air Staff, Abubakar Sadique

It is worthy of note that no team of service chiefs in the history of the country has suffered severe criticisms as a result of ineptitude and inefficiency as the immediate past. The replaced service chiefs were appointed by Buhari in 2015 after he was elected to his first presidential term but there has been a widespread clamour for their sack as Nigerian security network and apparatuses continued to worsen on a daily basis.

There is hardly any group, organisation or individual that has not called for the sack of the service chiefs. Nigerians have accused them of incompetence, complicity and lackadaisically carrying out their security mandate. Recall that in 2020, the Nigerian House of Representatives passed a resolution calling on all of the military service chiefs to resign, failure to so should be fired by Buhari. Individually and collectively, the Senate had also expressed the view that the service chiefs had to go.

It did not however, come as a surprise to many when Buhari’s media aide released a statement, pronouncing the sacking the military tacticians. In the statement, Buhari said that the outgoing service chiefs had an “overwhelming achievements in our efforts at bringing enduring peace to our dear country.”

Many however, hinted that the statement was Buhari’s personal opinion, considering the fact that under their watch, security broke down nationwide with the intensified menace of Boko Haram, Bandits and Fulani herdsmen, leading to a situation where the six southwest states governors established a security force to supplement and assist the national police force in the face of a kidnapping epidemic.

It is reported that about twenty-three states across the country have established local security organisations, ranging from neighborhood watches to armed police, with the latest Eastern Security Network, floated by indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

The shortcomings of the ousted service chiefs were innumerable. They were replaced:

MAJOR GENERAL LEO IRABOR (CDS)

Major General LEO Irabor is from Agbor in Delta State, he was a member of the Regular Course 39 of the NDA.

He served as a Commander Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) of the Nigerian Army, Minna.

Irabor also served as Chief of Training and Operations (CTOP), Defence Headquarters.

He served as the theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole and headed the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) as the Field Commander.

He also served as the Chief of Staff to the Chief of Army Staff. He is a trained engineer.

MAJOR GENERAL I. ATTAHIRU (COAS)

Major General Attahiru Ibrahim until his appointment as the Chief of Army Staff, was the General Officer Commanding 82 Division, Nigerian Army.

He was appointed to lead the offensive against Boko Haram in the North-East in May 2017.

He was, however, redeployed by the then Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai after a string of attacks by the insurgents, including after giving him a deadline of 40 days in July of that year to deliver Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau dead or alive.

AIR VICE MARSHAL ISIAKA OLAFAYO AMAO (CAS)

The new Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Olafayo Amao, was born on September 14, 1965, at Enugu. He hails from Oshogbo in Osun State.

He enlisted into the Nigerian Air Force on January 19, 1984, as a member of the 35 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy.

He had previously served as Trainee/Squadron Pilot, NAF Unit 99 ACTG Kainji (1993-2004), Instructor Pilot/Squadron Pilot, 301 FTS Kaduna (2004-2007), Air Assistance to Chief of Air Staff, Deputy Defence Adviser, Nigerian High Commission London, Assistant Director of Operation Defence Headquarters, Director of Policy and Plans, Nigerian Air Force.

Until his appointment, Amao was the Commandant Armed Forces Resettlement Centre Lagos.

REAR ADMIRAL AWWAL GAMBO

Rear Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo was born on 22 April 22, 1966, and hails from Nasarawa Local Council in Kano State. He enlisted in the NN on September 24, 1984, as a member of Regular Course 36 and was commissioned Sub-Lieutenant on September 24, 1988. He is an Underwater Warfare specialist with a sub-specialisation in Intelligence.

The senior officer has attended several military courses, which include; Sub-Technical course and Officers Long course both at NNS QUORRA. He also attended Junior Division 48/89 and Senior Course 26 both at AFCSC Jaji.

Other courses attended include the National Defence Course at the South African National Defence College. Until his recent appointment as the CNS, he was the Director of Procurement at the Defence Space Administration.

He holds a PGD in Transport Management and a Master’s degree in Transport Management (Logistics option), both from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.

Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Olafayo Amao

Chief of Army Staff, Major General Attahiru Ibrahim

Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo