COAS Yahaya: Buhari Responsible For Destruction Of Military, Timi Frank Tells Nigerians

ABUJA – Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, on Friday, condemned in strong terms the appoint­ment of Maj. Gen. Farouk Yahaya as the Chief of Army Staff.

He called on Nigerians and the international communi­ty to hold President Muham­madu Buhari responsible for bastardizing the military and reducing its officers and men to armed guards rather than a well-trained and disciplined fighting force, even in the face of security challenges in the country.

Frank, in a statement in Abuja, condemned the act saying it represents a gross violation of the Constitution, Federal Character Princi­ple and a total negation of long-cherished military tra­ditions and values. Yet Buhari’s touted military and security credentials could have brought him to power in 2015. What a colossal disappointment!

He lamented that the pa­rochial elevation of Yahaya over and above his seniors is a direct hit against the military, which will see se­nior, capable officers being purged through compulsory retirement as in the past and situation that would further weaken the nation’s security architecture.

Frank said: “We had be­lieved that Buhari, as a re­tired General, would leverage his experience and tactical know-how to strengthen the nation’s security architec­ture. But he has failed woe­fully.

“Under Buhari’s admin­istration, Nigeria has wit­nessed the weakest and most horrendous security situa­tion largely due to his incom­petence and his penchant to elevate incompetent and in­experienced Hausa/Fulani/ Muslim junior officers to lord it over competent and experi­enced senior officers.

“We have seen this re­peated over and over again in the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Air Force, Nigerian Navy, Nation­al Intelligence Agency (NIA), State Security Service (SSS), Nigeria Customs Service (NIS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSC­DC), to mention but a few.

“This, no doubt, has bred widespread distrust, discontent, disloyalty, low morale and lack of moti­vation among the Officer Corps of the military and other security agencies in the country.

“This untoward and dan­gerous adventure of Buhari as Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, has con­comitantly culminated in the deterioration of military discipline and willingness of the security forces to wholeheartedly confront in­surgents, bandits and other criminal elements that daily make life unbearable for the average citizen.”