Service Chiefs Agree To Take Orders From Chief Of Defence Staff
The Service Chiefs have agreed to subordinate themselves under the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, in line with universal best practices.
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, said Commanders of all ongoing military operations will henceforth report directly to Irabor, as obtained in military organisations across the world.
The Service Chiefs’ decision may not be unconnected to the frosty relationship that existed between the former Service Chiefs and the erstwhile CDS, Gabriel Olonisakin.
In a statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, the Service Chiefs took the decision to strengthen efforts to check the country’s security challenges.
The statement partly read: “The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao has stated that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and other sister Services have agreed to subordinate themselves to the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), under the abled leadership of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor.
“According to him, just as it is obtainable in military organisations worldwide, the DHQ is responsible for the command and control of the entire Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), which also means that all ongoing joint operations and Joint Task Forces are directly subordinated to the DHQ, and their commanders report directly to the CDS…”
Meanwhile, Action Democratic Party (ADP) has canvassed for the massive recruitment of able-bodied Nigerians into the armed forces. ADP’s National Chairman, Yabagi Sani, argued that the measure was required to safeguard the country’s territorial integrity.
The ADP chief, who expressed support for community policing, pushed for the decentralisation of the Nigeria Police Force, as part of measures to keep peace in the country.
Sani said: “We would like people to ponder over the puzzle that, while the Nigerian Army alone has an estimated strength of 300,000 trained officers and men, the ragtag Boko Haram fighters and the bandits combined, are said to be less than 20,000. So, what is happening?
“On banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes across the country, our party’s position is that the time has come for the nation to consider the involvement of communities in security surveillance and policing, such as the use of hunters and local vigilantes that have proved to be rewarding in many instances of their engagements.”
He stressed the need to deploy senior Army officers to hot spots in the forests, remote areas, villages and battle theatres.
The ADP chief also threw his weight behind calls by well-meaning Nigerians for the country to seek external military assistance in the bid to decisively deal with the Boko Haram insurgency group.
