Two retired top-brass of the Nigerian Army, Major General David Jemibewon and Brigadier General Kunle Togun as well as former inspector general of police, Mr. Mike Okiro, have warned the military not to allow themselves to be deceived into staging a take-over of a democratically elected government.
Also, a former chief of air staff of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Femi Gbadebo (rtd), said that the coup rumour might be a result of corruption trying to take its own pound of flesh against the ongoing anti-graft war.
The former Army and police chiefs spoke against the backdrop of an alarm raised by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai on Tuesday. The COAS had alleged that some people were approaching soldiers for political reasons and warned personnel, who might fall for such overtures of dire consequences.
Speaking with our correspondent in separate chats, Jemibewon, a former military governor of old Oyo State; Togun, exdeputy director of the State Security Service, Okiro and Gbadebo stated that any military take-over of the government of the country would greatly set Nigeria back in its efforts to recover from the current economic doldrums and combat corruption.
They, therefore, urged members of the Nigerian Armed Forces not to allow any politician and other unpatriotic persons to lure them into embarking on such a dangerous and unprofitable venture, which would do no one any good.
The two retired Army generals on their parts, said Nigeria as a leading black Africa nation is in dire need of the military more that such action which will only bring set back to the development of the country.
Jemibewon said that rather than truncating the current democratic experiment, concerted efforts should be made by all Nigerians to ensure a continuity of the elected government inspite of all its shortcomings, which it would overcome with time.
He said, “I would advise that the present democratic government should be encouraged. It may not be perfect but it is more acceptable. I would say that it is not good for a country to be changing from civilian to military or military to civilian. I think we need some level of psychology and development. I doubt if the rumour is true because if the military takes over, what difference would it make? The country is already in a mess. I am no more in the military. So, it takes prayers; I pray such doesn’t happen.”
Togun, in his comment on the coup rumour, said a military coup was not the panacea to the problems confronting the country at present. He stressed that no one in the military should, therefore, nurse any inordinate ambition of seizing a democratic government by force at this point in time.
“Nigeria does not need such (coup) now. It will only push us back. I will advise them not to be pushed to such level no matter what,” he said.
Former inspector general of police, Okiro reminded the military and all Nigerians that even a coup rumour could amount to treason, which should not be handled with kid gloves.
He maintained that such a dangerous rumour was capable of sparking off unrest in the country, adding that those found to have been involved in it should be arrested by the appropriate authorities.
“This shouldn’t be a rumor, it should be reported. Persons disseminating this should be reported. This shows treason and this is a matter that should be reported immediately. They should be arrested,” he said.
Also speaking, a former chief of air staff of the Nigerian AirForce, Air Vice Marshal Femi Gbadebo (rtd), said that such rumour of a coup might have been a result of some instability being experienced in the Nigerian system.
Gbadebo noted that the coup rumour might also be part of the efforts by those indicted of corrupt practices to fight back.
He stressed that staging a military government had not always been in the overall interest of the Nigerian nation, adding that the alarm raised by the Army boss was not out of place.
“The rumors started because certain things are not resolved. Once you have instability in system, the expectation is that something could happen. We would recall that, even the President said that corruption would fight back and from the recoveries we have seen, that there is so much money in the hands of people and corruption may look for what to do.
“People are just saying that if the President dies, there will be a change of status quo and the fact that every person who should be answering questions now has turned themselves to APC. These people are insulting the antidotes of corruption and when you put people like that together and they are now talking about antidotes to corruption they need to pudge themselves first. The President surrounded by people who are not trustworthy, and these are the people who are sniffing around causing problems.
“We never had military people who had good ideology for this country. It’s always been some mischievous people hanging around the officers’ mess and wasting resources. For the chief of army staff to come out and raise the alarm, it’s for caution and it’s for the country to be saved, because when you have a country in this situation we are in, anything can happen, and prevention is always better,” he said.
