How Did Irabor Usurped Civilian Energy – A Rejoinder

How Did Irabor Usurped Civilian Energy – A Rejoinder

By Abdulsalam Mahmud

The title of this piece could seem as a rhetorical query to many readers, however to not one Mr. Tayo Oke, who writes a backpage column for The PUNCH, each Tuesday.

Oke, absolutely is aware of that he was about to stir an hornet’s nest when he summarily concluded that Gen. Leo Irabor, the Chief of Defence, CDS, usurped civilian energy in some issues regarding inner safety.

First, whereas nobody can really decipher the ‘honest’ motivation behind the Op-ed article of Oke, it turns into tough to not consider that the title of the treatise is starkly mischievous.

However whereas it absolutely appears as if Oke is having an axe to grind with Irabor, there’s a want for most people to not be intentionally misinformed, if not disinformed on some sure safety points that Irabor intervened, and which Oke raised in his piece.

Apparently to launch his diatribe towards Irabor and in extension, the complete males and achieved officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Oke heralded his column with this parochial assertion: “Saying it as it’s, the Nigerian armed forces love being in cost. In contrast to their counterparts in Western democracies, who perform their duties diligently behind the scenes, away from the limelight, the Nigerian Armed Forces not solely love being seen, they insist on being heard as effectively”.

It’s embarrassing to be taught {that a} columnist like Oke who writes for a widely-read tabloid comparable to The PUNCH, will throw warning, morality and decency to the canine, and recklessly accuse the army of getting an obsession with been on the klieglight. How does the Nigerian army likes to be seen? And who has it compelled to all the time listening to its voice?

Oke would the go on additional to say: “The star-studded epaulettes on their (Nigerian army officers) shoulders make them really feel moderately particular. The entrance view of a few of their uniforms could be moderately mesmerising; adorned with so many shiny plastic ornaments, senior armed personnel appear like the caricature of battled-hardened World Struggle II veterans exhibiting off their exploits to a grateful nation. By no means thoughts that the ‘enemy’, lots of them would have in all probability ever confronted, would have been a fellow Nigerian”.

And I’m fast to ask: does Oke need officers of the Nigerian Army to shun international army conference by refusing to adorn their uniforms with the ‘star-studded epaulettes’ he’s referring to?

Is he having any challenge with Nigerian army officers embellishing their uniforms with the epaulettes? If Irabor and our different celebrated army officers henceforth cease displaying the honorific gadgets on their uniforms, will that make Oke be in cloud 9? Or can Oke present the general public the results of the research he had carried out which proved finally that the epaulettes are distracting our gallant officers and troops from discharging their constitutional obligations?

In addition to, I don’t suppose anybody can have qualms figuring out that the ‘solely’ enemies confronted by our illustrious army are fellow Nigerians who’ve since declared battle on the nation and its residents, which Oke is considered one of.

There may be each motive to conclude that Oke is barely sounding alarmist in any other case, how can the presence of uniformed personnel in civilian life (as he claimed) signifies that the nation is certainly below some sort of army rule, simply because insecurity has change into the subject of discourse amongst members of the Govt department and the Nationwide Meeting, in current weeks.

In the meantime, at a time insecurity is threatening the muse of Nigeria, as a sovereign entity, it’s tragic to be taught that Oke, in his ‘baseless’ piece, picks a gap with the overtures of Irabor to State Chief Executives, and media organisations, with a view to foyer their assist in direction of addressing the nation’s safety threats.

The current media parley the CDS held with media executives, editors and Bureau Chiefs of assorted media organizations within the nation, together with The PUNCH, which Oke writes for, couldn’t be described as a jamboree by anyone.

As an editor who bodily graced the parley held final Tuesday, I want to intimate Oke, who wasn’t invited to the discussion board for less than God is aware of causes, that opposite to his ideas, the sheer variety of editors and notable media executives on the parley, together with that of The PUNCH present that even when Irabor is ‘unpopular’ in Nigeria’s media circuit, he nonetheless instructions big respect, and affect, within the eyes of his visitors.

And for God’s sake, how can Irabor, a outstanding Nigerian, not even because the consummate head honcho of the Nigerian Armed Forces, repeatedly pay visits to army formations throughout the nation to work together with troops and Governors on methods to sort out safety threats, and the experiences of the familiarization excursions not be of particular and nice curiosity to the media. Simply how, Mr. Tayo Oke?

Now, 2023 is inching ahead and Nigerians have by no means been apprehensive over the conduct of a normal election. But, as a supposed mental, Oke apparently doesn’t like the truth that Irabor, who heads the one safety company that may assist assure a peace ballot, to continuously guarantee and reassure the electorates and teeming Nigerians that, with the assist of his males, they are going to nonetheless be capable of forged their ballots peacefully, amid ravaging insecurity. Unhappy!

Let me shortly give Oke a pat on his again for acknowledging Irabor’s quintessential persona, when he mentioned this (in his piece): “Previous to being appointed CDS in January 2021, Irabor, from Delta State, has had a stellar army profession, taking cost of some elite army models on the military HQ; Coaching and Doctrine, Coaching and Operations amongst others. Educated to Masters’s diploma, and quite a few abroad coaching as well, the overall is clearly not quick on confidence”.

However I shudder in nice disbelief when Oke thereafter, posited: “Nonetheless, managing public expectations on safety or political stress is rarely the job for the army and it’s definitely not considered one of Irabor’s fortes”. Whose job is it then, constitutionally? And if the function isn’t for Irabor, and the CDS but executes it in model, ought to anybody rattling give a hoot?

It’s crucial that public affairs analysts within the nation eschew doling out commentaries bereft of verifiable details, and that are able to stoking the embers of mutual hatred for not solely Gen. Leo Irabor, who stays dedicated to making sure that below his watch legal components holding Nigeria to ransom are defeated, however the officers and males of different safety companies within the nation.

Specifically, there’s the necessity for Mr. Oke to be extra broad-minded and all the time take a look at the bigger image when analysing actions, insurance policies and programmes of the CDS. Irabor, has by no means proven any curiosity in usurping the function or job of any civilian or political authority.

His overriding concern is for Nigeria to be rid of terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, ethnic secessionists, ritualists, armed robbers, and different legal components. Therefore, the declare by our expensive colleague, Mr. Tayo Oke, is one that’s all the things however factual. It’s grossly inaccurate, depraved and mischievous, to place it HARSHLY.

Abdulsalam Mahmud is an creator and Deputy Editor PRNigeria