Bola Ahmed Tinubu Two Nigerian politicians and activists who have held strategic positions in the affairs of the national government have been locked in what could be considered a debate for the survival of Nigerians.
Former members of the National Assembly representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Senator Shehu Sani and Reno Omokri, ex-aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan have exchanged been involved in an educative conversation regarding the proximity of having a secured nation with civilians as the head of Defense Ministry.
Senator Shehu Sani had faulted the decision by President Bola Tinubu to have assigned the Ministry of Defense to civilians; the ministry he thought would have best been manned by an ex-serviceman. However, Mr. Reno Omokri was of the opinion that reality has shown that Nigeria feels safer and more secure with civilians as Minister of Defense than when the ministry is manned by ex-servicemen. He, therefore, commended President Tinubu for taking the right decisions as far as the rating of his ministerial portfolios assignment was concerned.
The conversation was set on by Senator Shehu Sani when he suggested that "In view of the security challenges faced by this country, I thought the Defence Minister should be a retired Military officer with experience and records of accomplishments. That office shouldn’t be just political, especially at this time.
Not satisfied with the view, Mr. Reno Omokri turned his Twitter space into a classroom stating that "We had a former military General and Head of State as President and a retired General as Minister of Defence under Buhari, and our security worsened. The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same things and expect different results.
"If Buhari and Bashir Magashi only worsened the situation, then perhaps it is right to change them.
"If you look at the Global Terrorism Index for 2023, the countries experiencing the most insecurity are nations governed by the military, including Burkina Faso (#2) and Mali (#4).
"Niger was making progress on the Global Terrorism Index until the military took over, and two days ago, Jihadists killed 14 Nigerien soldiers.
"If you look at our history, we have had more security when civilians headed the Defence Ministry than when soldiers. Niger Delta militancy began under TY Danjuma, an ex-General, as Minister of Defence and ended when a civilian, Yayale Ahmed, took over. Boko Haram insurgency started when a former General, Godwin Abbe, was Defence minister and is only now easing under Nuhu Ribadu as NSA.
"Let these ex-military guys give others a chance, and then we can compare and contrast.
Responding to Mr. Omokri, Senator Shehu Sani went parables, stating that "Because three Doctors failed to treat your sickness should you try a Plumber?
This caused a spark and Mr. Reno Omokri seemed to have had the day with his smash-down response which reads:
"Perhaps the proper perspective, in my opinion, would be to say:
"Because three security guards failed to secure your house, you should consider trying a seasoned administrator to manage them.'
"The military is trained to carry out specific orders and tasks given to them by civilian authorities. That is why they are instructed not to question orders but to implement them without dispute and deviation.
"This makes it very difficult for them to be flexible enough to understand the non-combat aspect of securing a nation.
"However, civilian administrators undergo rigorous debates, consultations, and discussions and get feedback from those they administer without intimidating them. So they will likely be better at giving our military the proper orders and parameters so that the armed forces can focus on their core duties.
"The point of civilian control of the military is to ensure that our armed forces are subjugated to the nation and our constitution instead of vice versa.
"I hope you now get my point, sir.
"Thanks again, and may God bless you.
Replying to a rejoinder, Senator Shehu Sani submitted "Ok I don keep quiet.
Category: World-News
Tag: Shehu Sani Reno Omokri Bola Tinubu Ministry of Defense
Written by Omooba Alekuwodo (omoobaalekuwodo)
Published 8/17/2023 9:25:03 PM