Buhari meets with newly appointed service chiefs in Aso Villa (read his first message to them)

Buhari meets with newly appointed service chiefs in Aso Villa (read his first message to them)

- Nigeria's new service chiefs have met with President Buhari at the presidential villa

- The service chiefs met with the president a day after their appointments were announced

- There are hopes that with the new leaders on board, the fight against the Boko Haram and other security challenges will get a boost

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President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, January 27, met with the newly appointed service chiefs in State House.

This was disclosed by the president's special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, in a brief Facebook post.

Legit.ng gathers that the service chiefs in attendance are Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff, Major-General Leo Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff and Major-General I. Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff.

Buhari meets with new service chiefs in Aso Villa
President Buhari meets new service chiefs in Aso Villa. Photo credit: Femi Adesina
Source: Facebook

Others are Air-Vice Marshal I.O Amao and Chief of Air Staff.

What Buhari told the service chiefs

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The Nation reports that President Buhari charged the new service chiefs to be patriotic.

He said:

“We’re in a state of emergency. Be patriotic, serve the country well, as your loyalty is to the country.”

The president also congratulated them on heading their various services.

He added:

“There’s nothing I can tell you about the service because you are in it. I was also in it, and I will pray for you. I also assure you that whatever I can do as Commander-in-Chief will be done, so that the people will appreciate your efforts."

He also charged them to be concerned about the morale of their officers and men, saying they should be made to feel physically and professionally secure.

He pledged that the federal government would do its best in terms of equipment and logistics.

Why Buhari appointed new service chiefs, presidency reveals

Meanwhile, the presidency has finally lifted the lids on the appointment of the new service chiefs, saying the decision was based on the need to rejig the security structure of the country.

Read also

Forget federal character, this is how Buhari picked new service chiefs - Presidency

Presidential aide, Adesina, made this revelation on Tuesday, January 26.

Buhari meets new service chiefs in Aso Villa
President Buhari meets with the newly appointed service chiefs in Aso Villa. Photo credit: Femi Adesina
Source: Facebook

Adesina said President Buhari felt it was time to appoint new service chiefs, hence the decision to bring in new men with fresh ideas and strategy.

Presidency told to probe Buratai, other ex-service chiefs over corruption

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the appointment of the new service chiefs as "belated."

In a statement on Tuesday, January 26, the opposition party said the appointment is coming at the wrong time because much "harm had already been done to our national security."

The PDP also called for the probe of the former service chiefs, saying they have been alleged to have engaged in looting and sabotage of the security efforts.

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New service chiefs and the federal character principle

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Why Buhari sacked Buratai, others; appointed new service chiefs - Presidency reveals

The presidency has explained that according to the Nigerian constitution, some appointments can be done without consideration of the federal character principle.

Adesina said that security is one of the areas where this can be allowed.

The presidential media aide added that what is more important is competence, not necessarily the idea of the federal character or ethnic background of the persons in question.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Nurudeen Lawal avatar

Nurudeen Lawal (Head of Politics and Current Affairs Desk) Nurudeen Lawal is an AFP-certified journalist with a wealth of experience spanning over 8 years. He received his B/Arts degree in Literature-in-English from OAU. Lawal is the Head of the Politics/CA Desk at Legit.ng, where he applies his expertise to provide incisive coverage of events. He was named the Political Desk Head of the Year (Nigeria Media Nite-Out Award 2023). He is also a certified fact-checker (Dubawa fellowship, 2020). Contact him at lawal.nurudeen@corp.legit.ng or +2347057737768.