The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Alex Badeh

  • CDS: Action, not words

    SIR: The new Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh on Monday said that Boko Haram insurgency would be over by April. I join him in praying it becomes a reality.

    One thing he forgot before giving Nigerians this assurance is that he was the immediate past Chief of Air Staff. As Airforce chief, he was in the security committee of the federation. He had all the opportunity to come up with various strategies to combat the insurgents at the security meeting. He also was in control of the Airforce that is fully engaged in the battle against the insurgents.

    It is based on this I felt the new CDS needs to tell Nigerians what he intends to do now that he did not do while he was Air Chief. Or has he been presenting better ideas on how to combat the insurgents and his predecessor refused to key into them?

    Why April, why not immediately he assumes duty at his new post owing to the fact that he is not new to the terrain?

    Like I earlier stated, I join Nigerians in praying and hope the CDS and his newly appointed team of service chiefs succeed in combating the insurgents and bring lasting peace in the country, but it goes beyond words. Many words have been heard in the past from his predecessors, former Inspector General of Police Hafiz Ringim and the President himself also gave similar assurances in the past and the situation has not been better since then. It is my hope that this latest assurance by the new CDS that the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents will come to an end by April will be translated into action. Action they say speak louder than words.

    • Halilu Hassan,

    Kaduna

     

  • Boko Haram insurgency will be crushed by April – new CDS

    The newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Marshal Alexander Sabundu Badeh, has declared that the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeastern part of the country will be crushed by April.

    Badeh made the declaration on Monday shortly after he took the baton from Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim as CDS.

    He said, “The security situation in the northeast must be brought to a complete stop before April 2014. Substantial progress has been recorded in the war against the insurgents.

    “We must bring it (insurgency) to a stop before April so that we will not have constitutional problems on our hands.”

    It was a flurry of activities as new Service Chiefs took over from their predecessors in colourful ceremonies that ushered in the new helmsmen.

    Admiral Ola Ibrahim handed over to Air Marshal Badeh who was elevated from Chief of the Air Staff to the CDS.

    Earlier, Badeh had handed over to Air Vice Admiral Adesola Amosu as the new Chief of the Air Staff.

    The erstwhile Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, handed over to Major Gen. Kenneth Minimah, who becomes the new COAS.

    Ihejirika, had, in the course of the exercise dismissed media reports that over 30 senior officers were forced into retirement to pave the way for Minimah.

    According to him, there were only five officers who were senior to Minimah and that most of them had submitted their retirement letters to him since last week.

    He said: “I also want to remark that some papers published recently that 31 Army Generals might be leaving because of their relative seniority to the new Army Chief.

    “It is a fact that only five officers ranked higher in seniority than the new Army Chief up to the time he was appointed. And I want to inform you that most of these officers; the five I am talking about have submitted their letters of voluntary retirement to me because they feel they should retire at this point in time to make the work of the Army Chief very easy.”

    At the Navy, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin took over from Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba as new Chief of Naval Staff.

    All the retiring Service Chiefs expressed gratitude to President Goodluck Jonathan for giving them the opportunity to serve in various capacities.

    They enjoined serving officers and men to give the new Service Chiefs their unflinching support and loyalty to the nation.

     

  • Jonathan holds emergency security meeting

    Jonathan holds emergency security meeting

    Following terrorists attacks at the Maiduguri International Airport in Borno State, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday held an emergency security meeting with security chiefs at the Presidential Villa.

    At the meeting were the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen Azubike Ihejirika and Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Alex Badeh.

    No official statement was issued after the meeting, which ended around 3.40 p.m.

    The Chief of Defence Staff, who initially declined to comment on discussions at the meeting, later said that the situation was being managed.

    The Chief of Air Staff also parried journalists’ questions, saying: “Please ask the CDS; it is only the CDS that talks for all of us.”

     

  • Emergency rule: Senate, Service Chiefs meet tomorrow

    The Senate and Service chiefs will meet tomorrow for an update on the Emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

    The Senate invited the Service chiefs, following its resolution to receive them in plenary on the progress since the emergency rule in the northeast states.

    Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba said the meeting earlier scheduled for yesterday had to be shifted till tomorrow, following yesterday’s suspension of plenary.

    The Senate suspended plenary to enable the All Progressives Congress (APC) senators attend a board meeting of the party in Abuja.

    Besides, the sitting was suspended in honour of a member of the House of Representatives, Raphael Oloye Nomiye, who died at the weekend.

    It was not clear yesterday whether the Senate would hold the briefing in camera or in the open. But some informed sources said it would be a closed-door session because of the sensitive nature of issues.

    Those expected at the meeting are: the Chief of Defence Staff, Vice Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim; Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Alex Badeh; Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Dele Ezeoba; Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar and Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Ekpenyong Ita.