BY FOLASHADE KEHINDE
SENIOR Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has said that the
clamour for the sack of Service Chiefs is out of place, because the President could not act on such a matter based on the opinion of an opposition political party.
Garba who had said before that hiring or firing service chiefs was the prerogative of the President, reiterated on Monday night that Buhari would keep the security chiefs as long as he was satisfied with their performance.
The presidential spokesperson, who made his position known on an Arise TV interview, monitored by The Point, said with due respect to the feelings of Nigerians, only the President could determine how long the service chiefs would serve.
Nigerians had renewed their call for an overhaul of the security architecture of the country following the gruesome killing of 43 rice farmers in Borno over the weekend.
The assailants had tied up the agricultural workers and slit their throats, according to reports.
Garba’s comment on the unfortunate incident in an interview with BBC had also drawn criticisms from across Nigeria.
The Point had reported that Garba said the 43 killed rice farmers did not get military clearance before proceeding to their farms.
Following the backlash, the presidential spokesperson said on Monday night that he did not mean that the slain farmers deserved their fate by saying that they did not obtain military clearance before proceeding to the area.
He said he was only explaining military procedure.
On the renewed call for the sack of security chiefs, Garba said, “I’m not aware that the tenure of service chiefs is subjected to any law of regulation that is clearly stated. They serve at the pleasure of the President and if the President is satisfied with their performance, he keeps them. The buck stops at his table, with due respect to the feelings of Nigerians.”
“The clamour for the sack is out of place, considering the fact that the President is not subject to the opinion of the opposition political party, which has clamoured for this all the time. It is entirely his own determination. He decides who he keeps as his service chiefs and for how long,” Garba added.
