Youth groups denounce call for sack of Service Chiefs

By Okodili Ndidi and Nicholas Kalu, Abuja

Youths groups including the Emerging Leaders Forum of Nigeria (ELFON), Youth Assembly of Nigeria (YAN) and Nigerian Students Parliament (NSP) have denounced the call for the Service Chiefs as a political gambit.

They posited that the recent clamour for the ouster of the Service Chiefs and the planned nationwide protest is not in the interest of the nation.

Addressing reporters in Abuja, Godstime Chukwubuikem Samuel, National speaker of YAN and Mubarak Aliyu Rimi, National speaker of NSP, who spoke on behalf of the groups, described the call as “ the highest form of politicisation and stultification of security in Nigeria.”

According to them, despite the recent setbacks in the war on Boko Haram terrorism, there are obvious achievements recorded under the current military leadership.

“We the members of the Emerging Leaders Forum of Nigeria (ELFON), Youth Assembly of Nigeria (YAN) and Nigerian Students Parliament (NSP) deem it necessary to call for this press conference as part of our Patriotic duty to salvage our country from unnecessary political tension, interference and politicisation of security. We are indeed aware that our dear nation is bedeviled by numerous security challenges same way we are also aware of the spirited efforts by the Military, Police and other security agencies to deal with the security threats.

“However, the call for protest against the Service Chiefs and the call for the sack of Service Chiefs are not done in the best interest of Nigeria. It is the highest form of politicisation and stultification of security in Nigeria and we can never be part of such act of insurgency.

“Despite the recent setbacks in the war on Boko Haram terrorism, it is pertinent there are obvious achievements recorded under the current military leadership. The service chiefs have done a lot to stabilize our democracy and security which are needed for the development of Nigeria. They work selflessly to degrade Boko Haram insurgents in the face of obvious constraints of modern equipment and finance”, they posited.

They added further that, “we are also aware that the appointment and sacking of service chiefs is the sole prerogative of the president and commander in chief of the Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and so nobody can push Mr. President into sacking the Service Chiefs as their removal is entirely the Mr. Presidents responsibility.

“Fellow Nigerian Youths, Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen,  on the basis of the above concerns, we the members of the Emerging Leaders Forum of Nigeria, Youth Assembly of Nigeria and Nigerian Students Parliament hereby openly and strongly disassociate ourselves with the planned protest for the removal of the heads of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and we urge all Nigerians to resist the misadventure which is the politically induced request for the removal of Service Chiefs.

“We urge all Nigerian Youths and Nigerians in general to support and rally round the President,  Muhammadu Buhari and the leaders of the Armed Forces of our great country to hasten the total defeat of the insurgents, terrorists and bandits in our country. We say no to political interference in security matters. We equally say no to any form of  protest against the military leadership in Nigeria. God bless Nigeria”.