It is necessary to respond to a fictive story published in today's edition of New Telegraph Newspaper, to the effect that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the replacement of Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, as Service Chiefs.
The newspaper, rather than rush to print an unsubstantiated story, would have done better to confirm the information at its disposal, from many available military and government information channels. It then would have avoided the self-inflicted wound of publishing a one-legged story that is not completely true, and damaging its brand in the process.
Gen Olonisakin is due to retire from the Army next week, having satisfied the official number of years in service. He is yet to be replaced. But the Chief of Naval Staff has a short while more, and President Buhari could, therefore, not have approved his replacement yet.
This administration has repeatedly pledged commitment to transparency and accountability, and one of the hallmarks of that is making information available to the media. But when some sections of the media would rather speculate, than cross-check and double check information, then it borders on deliberate mischief. That, surely, is not the way to go, for national cohesion and development.
Telegraph had reported that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the retirement of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Gabriel Olonisakin, and the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas.
Minister of Defence, Brig.- Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd), has since sent letters to the Service Chiefs, wherein they were directed to handover on or before Friday, December 16.
Both men were compulsorily retired because they have attained the official years of retirement from the military; they belong to the Regular Course 26 of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). While Olonisakin was commissioned Second Lieutenant on December 18, 1981, Ibas’ commissioning took place in 1983.
An "highly placed" source said Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, will take over from Olonisakin in acting capacity.
Abubakar is the most senior Service Chief after Olonisakin, who was the Head of the Nigerian Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Niger State. A former President of a Special Court-Martial, Air Vice Marshal James Gbum, is to assume the position of CAS, also in acting capacity.
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