President Muhammadu Buhari made former Service Chiefs non-career ambassadors because of his good heart and belief that they did not fail in prosecuting the war against terrorism, a position that is contrary to that of many Nigerians
This position was made known by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina.
The former top security chiefs are Gen Gabriel Olonisakin, Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, Chief of Army Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, Chief of Naval Staff, and Air Marshal Saddique Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff.
Writing his weekly column, From the Inside, Femi Adesina said although the former Service Chiefs could not bring the war against terrorism to an end, they tried their best, hence the decision by the president to save them from derision.
He did not want to put them to shame as was expected by some.
He said the president’s action was a display of his virtue of being faithful to those who served him faithfully, the category to which the former Service Chiefs belonged.
He said the president wanted the top security chiefs to emerge heroes, that was why he gave them enough opportunities to be in charge of the war, but to no avail.
Adesina said, despite their failure to end the Boko Haram war, the fact that they flushed out terrorists from territories they had earlier occupied and restored peace in different areas were enough to compensate them.
The presidential spokesman’s write up reads in part: “The Service Chiefs did not make a clinical end of insurgency, banditry, and other criminalities in the country. But not for lack of trying. They did their level best, made huge advances, but the times were very difficult. Did they fail as in FAIL? Only in the eyes of those who appreciate nothing, and don’t even know what success is.
“But President Buhari is not in that mould. He would not use people who did their level best, and dump them unceremoniously, so that they become objects of derision in the eyes of those who like to see people fall from elevated positions.
“It never ceases to baffle me that some characters simply lay in wait, just to mock people who lose certain positions. It gives them some devilish kind of orgasm to see people fall. As if they were the ones that would be appointed as replacements. Or members of their families. Their predisposition is simply to gloat, and say, ‘serves him right.’ And what do they gain? Nothing! In fact, they remain soused and marooned in their decrepit stations in life, due to their evil hearts.
“President Buhari nominated the immediate past Service Chiefs as non-career Ambassadors. And I say, bravo, Mr President. That is why we believe in you. That is why we have followed you through thick and thin, and will continue to do so, whether in or out of government. You are always faithful to those who serve you faithfully. You watch their backs, care for them, and that is why we believe. Yes, let everyone else be faithless, let them mock, but we believe.
“The former Service Chiefs did not end insurgency, but not for lack of will. I remember when Buratai himself relocated to the front, in Northeast, and he said he would not return to Abuja till the war was over. Under his charge, the insurgents were killed in many hundreds. But they were like locusts. The more they killed them, the more they increased. Very uncanny. They were attacked from the land, the air, and from the waters (where possible). But hell had enlarged itself, and continued to spew them out. Quite preternatural.
“The President would have wanted those Service Chiefs to go home as heroes. So he gave them time. Longer than was usual. And having realized that they had fought the war with all that was in them, he decided on some kind of reward, show of appreciation. Admirable. A display of good heart. No matter who you are; a President, a billionaire, Archbishop, Imam, if you don’t have a good heart, forget it. You should be avoided. Like a plague.”
