I had said in my Letter To Mr President 2 – Security, that he is the only president in recent history who neither reshuffled his cabinet nor reviewed the hierarchy of the armed forces after the first one he did since 2015. I also opined that I didn’t know if it was a plus or a minus to his administration.
But yo be direct, I am one of those who think that the service chiefs are overdue for reshuffling. Howbeit, not for the reasons many are calling for it today.
It saddens me that the national think-tank, rather than address the fundamental issue of insecurity are scratching the surface of the problem. Worse still is the position of so called Critics and Analysts who should know better.
The fact that people are asking for sacking or replacing of service chiefs as a solution to rise in insecurity shows that many do not understand what the real issues are or are still fixated in having the military handle internal security.
All the issues that the military are handling today are internal security challenges. Name them – kidnapping for ransom, Banditry, Herders/Farmers clash, including the prolonged Boko Haram insurgency. These are all challenges that a well equipped, well motivated, well manned police force will successfully handle as seen in other climes.
But why is our police not able to handle what should ordinarily be their constitutional role?
Because they have been degraded by military government during the years of coup and counter coup.
Because even though we have enjoyed over 20 years of democracy, the police force have not recorded any major upgrade thus leaving them as mere body guards & errand boys of political elites and VIPs.
Any serious conversation to resolve our current security challenges that doesn’t address these two issues are only mere talk and will not solve the problem from its root. We must seek ways to remove the military from the scene and give back internal security work to the police.
Until then, all this call for sacking of service chiefs is either ignorant or political talk.
Tcp Whyte on a mission to effect #positivechange with #thewholetruth.
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