- Insists only him can sack Service Chiefs
By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
President Muhammadu Buhari has issued a tacit rebuke to the Senate over its resolution calling for the resignation of the Service Chiefs or their sack.
The Senate passed the resolution today, July 21, after the Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, said the Service Chiefs lacked the capacity to tame the spate of insecurity in the country.
Shortly after the resolution, Buhari countered the Senate, reminding them that he is still the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces through a short statement signed by his spokesman, Femi Adesina.
“The Senate Tuesday adopted a resolution calling on the Service Chiefs to resign or be sacked due to the multi-pronged security challenges in the country.
“The Presidency notes the resolution, and reiterates that appointment or sack of Service Chiefs is a Presidential prerogative, and President Muhammadu Buhari, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, will do what is in the best interest of the country at all times,” the statement reads.
This is not the first time the Senate and the House of Representatives have either passed a resolution or asked the President to fire the Service Chiefs for lacking the initiative to deal with the security crises plaguing the country. But the president has continually rebuffed the call, even though their tenure has since elapsed and most of them have exceeded the mandatory retirement age of public servants.
For instance, Buratai will be 38 years in service by September, overshooting his service time by three years. The same applies to the Chief of Air Staff, Sadiq Abubakar, who enrolled into the Nigerian Air Force 41 years ago and probably commissioned as an officer 39 years ago.