Nigerians in Diaspora knock Senate over security chiefs’ resolution

Nigerians in the Diaspora, under the auspices of Nigerians in Diaspora Monitoring Group (NDMG), have decried the recent call by the Senate on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the nation’s service chiefs, saying that “it is in furtherance of their ploy to separate the President from his appointees who are diligent.”

They described the state of insecurity on which the lawmakers predicated their call as “a smokescreen,” stressing that security breaches that would have been insignificant in the past “are now being highlighted for public attention owing to the dearth of more devastating news.” The group stated this in a statement issued yesterday by its Secretary-General, Uchenna D. Okereke, noting that the “disposition of the senators can demoralise troops in the battle front and give Boko Haram terrorists an upper hand.

” It stated that the “demand being made by the senators on Buhari is politically motivated and an integral part of manoeuvring for the 2019 general elections,” stressing that “the senators do not have the capacity to assess the on-going war against terrorism, and hiring of experts is not enough to educate lawmakers on the enormity of what the military contend with in the theatre of war.”

“NDMG is saddened that the demand by the lawmakers is premised on anecdotal evidences and not the subject of statistical analyses that would have showed that there has been improvement in the responsiveness to security breaches on the part of the Armed Forces. The reality is that incidences that would have been insignificant in the past are now highlighted for public attention for lack of more devastating news; interpreting this as bad has the tendency to demoralize troops and hand the initiative to terrorists.

“Coming from lawmakers, who are statutorily expected to use their position to promote peace and stability in the country, we find the demand disconcerting and worrisome. This is especially so when information emanating from certain quarters confirm that the demand is politically motivated and an integral part of the 2019 General Elections manoeuvring,” the statement read in part. It added: “We invite the senators to take cognisance of their place as politicians who may not have the requisite competences to assess the counter-insurgency war; this is also not a field where consultants can bring the lawmakers up to speed since it takes those in the war theatre to fully appreciate the enormity of what the military contend with on a minute by minute basis.

“While we advise the Senate to walk back its poorly thought out position, we use this opportunity to appeal to the military chiefs and the troops under their commands not to be discouraged by the demand from the lawmakers. They should see the call as a minor skirmish in the psychological component of the ongoing counter-insurgency operation. Nigerians, the electorates who these lawmakers represent, greatly appreciate what the service chiefs have done so far.

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