The Deputy President of the Senate , Senator Ovie Omo – Agege and Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC Borno South), have commended President Muhamnadu Buhari on the appointments of new Service Chiefs .
While Omo- Agege in a statement issued in Abuja Wednesday , expressed his excitement on the choice of Major General Leo Irabor as the new Chief of Defence Staff ( CDS) , Ndume in an interview with Journalists , said the change of guards effected by Buhari with the new appointments was a welcome development .
Specifically, Omo – Agege in the statement signed by his Media Minder, Yomi Odunuga , said he is elated with Irabor’s appointment .
He expressed optimism that Irabor’s competence and decades of experience in tackling security challenges in the country will come to bear during his tenure.
The Delta Central lawmaker thanked President Buhari for appointing an illustrious son of the state into the exalted position.
“I join other Nigerians in congratulating you on your recent elevation as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
“Without question, your towering achievements in the military from Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Force Commander Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Basin Area, Chief of Defence, Training and Operations (CDTOP) at the Defence Headquarters clearly justify your appointment as that which aptly fits the description of putting a round peg in a round hole,” he stated.
Ndume in his own reaction said the appointment of the new Service Chiefs is a welcome development and that goes to show that the President is keeping to his words.
He said: ” I remember in his New Year broadcast, he made a promise that he was going to rejig the security apparatus and that he assured Nigerians that the war against insurgency, banditry and other forms of criminality that have been disturbing the country will be properly addressed.
“This (appointment of new Service Chiefs) is part of the implementation of his promise and also it is just a change of guards, so to say. But the good thing about it is that the new Service Chiefs are not only qualified but they have the field and operational experience.
” The CDS, I know him very well, I have worked with him in Maiduguri. He was a very performing officer and from there he was posted to the Joint Military Taskforce in the Lake Chad region and we have seen how gallant, intelligent and humble he is. It was during his tenure that he upgraded the civil-Army relations to a next level. He is experienced enough.
“The Chief of Army Staff was also a Theatre Commander at one-time, even though his tenure was very short. He knows the terrain very well, he has the experience.
“Also, the Chief of Air Staff was at the theatre, in fact, at one-time he was the deputy commandant of the Operation Lafiya Dole. And even the Chief of Naval Staff is not new to the terrain having come from Kano, he knows the place very well.
“So, we are expecting that with this development and being conversant with the insurgency problem in the North-East particularly and in the country in general, Nigerians by the several calls they have made for the change of the Service Chiefs, have very high expectation on the new Service Chiefs. But I am confident that this crop of people will be able to deal or address this issue.
“The good side of it is that the military hardware ordered by the government have started arriving and that will give them a better capability or capacity”.
