Timi Frank: General Yahaya’s appointment as army chief violates constitution

By UDORA ORIZU

A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has condemned in strong terms the appointment of Major General Farouk Yahaya as the Chief of Army Staff (CAS).

President Muhammadu Buhari had on Thursday approved the appointment, following the death last Friday of Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 other military officers and men in an air crash in Kaduna.

Frank, in a statement in Abuja, condemned the appointment, saying it represents a gross violation of the constitution, Federal Character Principle and a total negation of long cherished military traditions and values.

According to him, the appointment of Yahaya, who is of Course 37 as the CAS invariably means that over 68 Majors-General of Course 35 and 36 in the Nigerian Army who are Yahaya’s seniors and still in service would either be retired compulsorily or stay and be bossed by a junior officer.

He also bemoaned the fact that Yahaya, a junior officer, is now going to be rubbing shoulders with the present Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Leo Irabor; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao; and Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Auwal Zubairu Gambo — all of Course 35.

He lamented that the elevation of Yahaya over and above his seniors is a direct hit against the military which will see senior, capable officers being purged through compulsory retirement as in the past and situation that would further weaken the nation’s security architecture.

The statement read in part: ”Under Buhari’s administration, Nigeria has witnessed the weakest and most horrendous security situation largely due to his incompetence and his penchant to elevate incompetent and inexperienced Hausa/Fulani/Muslim junior officers to lord it over competent and experienced senior officers. We have seen this repeated over and over again in the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Air Force, Nigerian Navy, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), State Security Service (SSS), Nigeria Customs Service (NIS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), to mention but a few.

”This, no doubt, has bred widespread distrust, discontent, disloyalty, low morale and lack of motivation among the officer corps of the military and other security agencies in the country. This untoward and dangerous adventure of Buhari as Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces has concomitantly culminated in the deterioration of military discipline and willingness of the security forces to wholeheartedly confront insurgents, bandits and other criminal elements that daily make life unbearable for the average citizen.” (THISDAY)