Chinelo Obogo
The Nigerian Christian Youth Assembly (NCYA) has expressed support for the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin, saying he has fostered synergy among the different military components which has proven to be the catalyst in their numerous operations.
In a joint statement by Rev. Philip Attah and Pastor Stephen Onwu, its President and Secretary-General, the group said the appointment of Olonisakin in 2015 has contributed to the success of the military in fighting terror.
While admitting that there are still challenges to be surmounted, the NCYA said the security situation is better than it was five years ago and for that, Olonisakin and the military chiefs should be supported and continue their jobs.
The group rejected call for their removal, saying it would be a disservice considering their ‘hard work and professionalism.’
“It is abundantly clear that the Nigeria military is facing its most engaging moment in its history. Besides fighting the brutal war against insurgency, it is also carrying out various operations in almost all the states of the federation.
“At no point in the military’s history has it been tasked this much, but for the men in uniform who have staked their lives for us all, perhaps the terrorists would have run over the nation.
“We at NCYA cannot forget in a hurry the attacks by insurgents in the early days of the war against Boko Haram and how they over ran several towns, communities and many local governments. We do not forget that in some instances, they carted away many young children with them, they hoisted flags, in some instances made laws and even set up courts for judging offenders. That was how bad the situation was then.
“In 2015, when President Muhammadu Buhari came to power, whilst some accused him of delay in appointing ministers, one of his very early appointments was that of the service chiefs, from that action it was clear to us that the President meant business.
“He went for the best and the choice of Olonisakin was a smart one. Within a few weeks of their assumption of office, Boko Haram/ISWAP were soon on the run, fleeing into the deep forest of Sambisa where the remnants of them reside till date. Nigerians are witnesses to the agony and the humanitarian crisis that preceded the appointment of the current service chiefs.
“All these gains were made mainly through the coordination and cooperation amongst the different units of the military. When Olonisakin was appointed in 2015, he inherited over 13 military operations across the country and he immediately moved to restructure many of the operations strategically. Part of the restructuring lead to the establishment of the campaign planning, coordinating centre for naval component, theatre commander and deputy in operation “Lafiya Dole”. This helped to integrate the operation of the naval forces into the operations seamlessly. He also created the theatre media office to better coordinate the operational activities of the armed forces.
“Many would have forgotten the many challenges from groups that terrorised us but through the coordinated leadership of Olonishakin, the military has been able to bring the security challenges under control. Many of these challenges emerged during the general election year, yet the military stood firm even in areas where civil mediation and enforcements had failed to bring results.
“We must understand that the task before the military transcends the borders of Nigeria. Nigeria and its military remain a very crucial factor for the stability of the west African sub region. Upon assuming leadership as the head of the ECOWAS committee of chiefs of defense staff, Olonishakin moved to tackle the issue of proliferation of arms across the various countries within ECOWAS due to the porous borders in order to curb activities of terrorists within the region.
“We should not forget the calm that the military has brought to the once restive Niger Delta region. Activities such as oil bunkering, oil theft, high sea piracy, illegal refining and a host of other criminal activities in that region has largely been stemmed by the military.
“There is more synergy amongst the different components of the security agencies as the air force provides excellent air support for ground operations in operation Lafiya Dole in the north east. The Navy and the air force working together to make our territorial waters safe with fantastic cooperation in joint operations that has led to the many successes we are witnessing now.
“Though we admit there are still some pockets of security challenges, what we should not lose sight of is where we were coming from and where we are now. There is no doubt that since the emergence of the current set of service chiefs, there has been a lot of improvement in the security of the country.
“This is why as a group we have come openly to declare that we reject the call for the sack of the service chiefs. We see this call as a disservice to the place of merit, hard work and professionalism displayed by Olonisakin and his team.
“We use this opportunity to commend President Buhari for his stable leadership and we laud his decision to extend the tenure of the service chiefs like he did other appointees such as the NSA, the CBN Governor, many ministers and several heads of government. It is clear that President Buhari appreciates the leadership of the service chiefs, who have actually given their best and are still doing their best.
“We encourage Nigerians to emulate other countries where the very best of the country’s senior personnel are retained for as long as they are ready to serve, our case should not be any different .
We fear that sacking the service chiefs now will erode the gains of all the reforms being institutionalised in the country’s armed forces,” the group said.