Some Abuja-based security experts have hailed President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment of new service chiefs, describing it as a step in the right direction.
The experts, who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday, said the changes would impact positively on operations of the military.
They said contrary to comments in some quarters, the appointments were not belated but calculated toward achieving the vision of the present administration in the security sector.
Retired Air Commodore Yusuf Anas, the Executive Secretary of the Centre for Crisis Communication, a non-governmental organisation, said the appointments would add fresh idea in the military operations.
Anas said the changes were made at a time when much was expected from the armed forces in tackling resurgence of bombings and attacks in parts of the country.
“As far as I know, it is a welcome development, it is very timely and expected of every new administration with a distinct programme and security policy.
“Appointing the top echelon of the armed forces at this point in time should be supported because it will inject new blood into the operations of the military.
“The new people have come a long way and have the requisite credentials to refocus the armed forces for the challenges ahead,’’ Anas said.
He expressed confidence in the new helmsmen to deliver on the presidential directive of redeeming the reputation of the armed forces.
Similarly, a former Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Mr Lawrence Alobi, lauded the choice of the new officers by the president, describing them as `round pegs in round holes’.
He said the appointments would inject new ideas and add a different dimension in the nation’s fight against insurgency in the North-East.
Alobi urged the new service chiefs to key into the president’s programme and bring about the much needed change in the armed forces.
He urged them to overhaul the entire security network of the nation in line with the expectations of Nigerians.
According to Alobi, the reputation of our armed forces which has been a subject of debate in recent times must be paramount in the agenda of the new helmsmen.
“The president has a vision and he wants the new chiefs to work in line with the vision because the image of the armed forces has been battered.
“A good reputation is what will engender trust and confidence between the security agencies and the public which has been the missing link so far,’’ Alobi said.
Alobi urged the new service chiefs to focus on training, synergy among members of the security community and cooperate with the civil populace to produce results.
He said Nigerians expect the new leadership of the armed forces to add value to what their predecessors had put on ground.
Another Abuja-based security expert, Mr Ben Okezie, said the appointments were well informed.
Okezie said the perceived delay in the appointments could have been prompted by the president’s need to carefully study the situation he inherited from the last administration.
He said the president’s charge to the new service chiefs was to remind them of the battered reputation of the armed forces as evident in the recent amnesty report on rights abuses.
“The president’s charge to the service chiefs is reminding them of the amnesty international report that indicted the military in its operations in the North-East.
“What he is just telling them is to be mindful of the content of the report and work toward correcting whatever wrongs that might have been done in the past,’’ Okezie said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Buhari appointed new chiefs for the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Air Force and Nigerian Navy.
The president also announced the appointment of a new National Security Adviser and a new Chief of Defence Intelligence. (NAN)