How Buhari's Slow Pace Is Affecting The Fight Against Boko Haram

President Muhammadu Buhari’s
current slow approach to
governance is affecting the
prosecution of the war against
extremist group, Boko Haram, in the
north east, findings by PREMIUM
TIMES have shown.
Officials in the administration and
some retired security and military
experts who spoke to PREMIUM
TIMES, expressed the view that the
decision by the president to
continue working with the service
chiefs and the National Security
Adviser he inherited from the
administration of former President
Goodluck Jonathan, is greatly
affecting the war.
“Service Chiefs are currently sitting
at the edge of their seats; there is a
regime of uncertainty because it was
clear to them and everyone that
they would not be part of the new
administration, as such, they
presently do not go the extra mile,”
one official said.
We also gathered at the Defence
Headquarters that there is presently
no long term commitment on the
part of the Service Chiefs and other
top commanders, owing largely, to
the uncertainty regarding their
tenure.
“All the Service Chiefs have cleared
their desks including the NSA, and
each day, they expect to receive the
news of their sack, in that case, how
do you expect someone to be in the
right frame to prosecute a war as
complex as the one against Boko
Haram who use civilian targets as
shield,” he said.
Our source added that the Service
Chiefs are presently hardly taking
any decision on the war and security
matters.
“They are often only called in to be
given directive to carry out, the
president is the one in charge,” he
said.
“Take for example the decision to
remove military checkpoints; an
order was simply given without
recourse to brainstorming on the
issue,” he said.
Another retired army general, who
also asked not to be named for
“personal reasons” said other high
ranking military officers, sensing the
insecurity on the part of the service
chiefs have begun to show signs of
indiscipline.
He said top commanders are unable
to enforce discipline at present
because “everyone knows that the
leadership are living on borrowed
time, and so, hardly carry out
directives”.
Our source added that the tenure of
Service Chiefs is usually two years
and the current chiefs were
appointed in January 2014, as such,
they know sack or not, they would
leave by January 2016.
“I know that what is agitating the
minds of our chiefs at present is
planning their post retirement life
and not any long term plan to
prosecute a war
“What I would advise the president
is to allow them leave, so that he,
himself would be focused with a
fresh team he personally put in
place, the earlier we do this, the
better for us as a nation,” the source
said.
Just like what obtains at present in
the military, this newspaper had
reported recently how the delay by
Mr. Buhari to make key
appointments more than three
weeks after assumption of office was
taking a serious toll on government
businesses.
We reported that the president’s
delay in filling important
government positions, especially the
office of the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, was
hurting the smooth running of
government businesses.
PREMIUM TIMES investigations
revealed that the day to day
operations of the different
ministries, departments and
agencies have been weakened, while
coordination of important
government policies and
programmes has become a mess.
“The country can ill-afford further
delay by the president to make
these vital appointments,” a federal
permanent secretary said on
Wednesday.
“From the presidency to the
ministries, departments and
agencies, everything has come to
virtual standstill.”