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  • Ndume to Tinubu: ignore calls for sack of Service Chiefs

    Ndume to Tinubu: ignore calls for sack of Service Chiefs

    Former Senate Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ignore those calling for the removal of his service chiefs.

    The former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army said this in a statement yesterday in Abuja.

    He was reacting to agitation for the removal of the Service Chiefs by a group, Northern Ethnic National Forum.

    In a statement on Tuesday, the Convener of the group, Dominic Alancha, had claimed that the current service shiefs lacked the professional capacity to lead the war against insurgency and banditry.

    The group accused the service chiefs of failing to deliver, despite huge security funding the military had got. It also insisted that the entire security architecture required a fundamental overhaul.

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    “We angrily and unequivocally demand the immediate dismissal and replacement of all Service Chiefs. The President must appoint fresh and innovative military leaders with a clear mandate and timeline for results,” Alancha had said in the statement.

    But Ndume disagreed with this submission.

    The Borno South lawmaker maintained that what the military needs most is adequate funding to buy more sophisticated arms and ammunitions and earn better remuneration for the officers and men of the Armed Forces.

    He said: “Those pushing for the sack of the present crop of service chiefs have ulterior motives. They do not mean well for the present administration and Nigerians.

    “I want to restate my call for a proactive TEAM approach, which means: Training, Equipment, Ammunitions and Motivation. These combination would go a long way in counter-terrorism, banditry, and insurgency.

    “It is outlandish and uncharitable for any group of individuals to accuse the present service chiefs of professional incompetence. All of them have the requisite training and experience in theatre operations.

    “All they need is adequate ammunitions and motivation. The salary of a private army in Nigeria is about N100,000.00 ($67.00) per month. Their daily allowance (N5,000.00) is unconscionable and nothing to write home about.

    “People should desist from pronouncement that could dampen the morale of our soldiers and officers on the field of operation.”

    Ndume hailed President Tinubu’s administration for what he called its sense of ethno-religious balancing in the composition of present security architecture, unlike what was obtained in the recent past.

    Also, the World Institute for Peace (WIP) has rejected the calls for the removal of the service chiefs.

    The Executive Director of the institution, Lamina Omotoyosi, noted that the insecurity in Nigeria has significantly declined since the appointment of the current service chiefs.

    It said: “Any call for their removal at this crucial moment is not only ill-informed but a direct attempt to undermine the remarkable progress made under their leadership.

    “The Federal Government should ignore such distractions and instead continue to empower the Armed Forces to sustain their momentum.”

    The institute described the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as the best in Nigeria’s history.

    It lauded his transformational leadership, strategic acumen, and the tangible achievements recorded by the Armed Forces since his appointment on in 2023.

  • Ndume under fire over attacks against Tinubu

    Ndume under fire over attacks against Tinubu

    • Your outburst on President haughty, unnecessary – APC

    The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday took a swipe at the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume for alleging that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been “caged” and unaware of existential challenges in the country.

    The party described the media outburst of the Senator representing Borno South Senatorial district in the upper chamber of the National Assembly as “haughty as it is unnecessary.”

    APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka in a statement in Abuja said  Tinubu is available and keenly attentive to his duties.

    The party wondered that “as a Senator of the Federal Republic, Ndume has the platform of the National Assembly to raise and address matters that he may consider to be in the national interest. He also has access to the entire machinery of the Federal Government of Nigeria. Senator Ndume did not explain the use to which he has put this enormous access in seeking solutions to concerns that he may have.”

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     It further argued that: “It is understandable if Senator Ndume feels frustrated by his suggested inability to access the President. But that does not warrant or justify his outlandish declaration that the President has been caged in some way or ensconced from the reality of conditions in the country. Senator Ndume’s heedless comments smack of an indulgent sense of entitlement to see the President on a whim. 

    “The President is busy doing the job for which he was elected by the Nigerian people. He is the head of government of which there are many critical parts equipped with power to process and deal with a wide range of simple to complex social, economic, political or security challenges. The President’s time is required to be used judiciously in attending to important matters of state. 

    “Just about nine days ago, on July 4, 2024, the President inaugurated the Presidential Economic Coordination Council (PECC) and launched the Economic Stabilization Programme to ensure food security, improved power supply, enhanced social welfare, healthcare, increased energy production and general economic transformation.

     “Further, a couple of days ago, President Tinubu was in an important meeting with leaders of organised labour on the issue of the new minimum wage.

     “President Tinubu meets and interacts regularly with citizens, officials and guests from all walks of life, as his schedule permits. He has continued to superintend the formulation and implementation of policy and programme measures aimed at mitigating prevailing economic conditions and boosting availability and price access to food and other essential commodities.”

     The governing party spokesman further recounted recent engagements of the President in the discharge of his duties.

     Morka wrote, “President Tinubu recently signed an Executive Order aimed at reducing the high cost of drugs; approved tax waivers for the importation of some food items in the bid to crashing prices and ensuring food sufficiency; directed the Armed Forces to combat and defeat resurgent of acts of terror, among many other important engagements that speak eloquently to his command of the situation in the country.”

    Advising the lawmaker, who is a senior party member to always exercise restraint and quit his penchant for unhelpful attention-seeking media posturing, the party maintained that the “country needs all hands to be on deck on the cusp of national transformation, each doing their part to remake the social, economic and security conditions in the best interest of our people.”

    Also condemning Ndume’s attacks on the President, Senator Sunday Karimi (APC – Kogi West) yesterday, warned  him  to refrain from making derogatory statements against the Tinubu government.

    Karimi expressed concern over Ndume’s behaviour, likening it to that of a loose cannon and emphasising the need for constructive dialogue and criticism in governance.

    He highlighted that most of Senator Ndume’s criticisms of the Tinubu administration appear to stem from a personal agenda to undermine the government at all costs.

    He pointed out the inconsistency in Senator Ndume’s approach, noting that he had been notably silent during the previous administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari from the North.

    Furthermore, Karimi noted  that many of Ndume’s allegations lack substantiated evidence and are driven by a “pull-him-down syndrome” rather than a genuine commitment to improving governance.

    Karimi said: “As an experienced legislator with over two decades of service in the National Assembly, Senator Ndume is urged to exercise caution in his statements and avoid making inflammatory remarks that could further polarise the polity and divide the nation.

    Karimi urged Senator Ndume to adopt a more constructive and responsible approach to criticism and reminded him of the importance of engaging in meaningful dialogue and fostering unity in the pursuit of national development.

    “It is essential for all stakeholders in governance to prioritize the collective interests of the nation above personal agenda and political vendetta,” Karimi said.