The Northern Governors’ Forum has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to replace the country’s Service Chiefs.
Buhari had on Tuesday approved the immediate resignation of the then Service Chiefs, and their retirement from service.
Those involved were the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.
The President announced the appointment replacement in the persons of Major-General Leo Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General I. Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff; and Air-Vice Marshal I.O Amao, Chief of Air Staff.
Fielding questions from newsmen after meeting President Buhari in the State House, Friday, Chairman of the Forum, Simon Lalong, who is the Governor of Plateau State, said the step taken by the President was a right step towards addressing the menace of insecurity in the country.
“I came into the Presidential Villa in two respects; on behalf of the Northern Governors’ Forum and also as State Governor from Plateau State. I extended our felicitations to the President on a new year and also congratulated and commended him for the steps he is taking in addressing insecurity in the country especially in Northern Nigeria.
“The change of Service Chiefs is very commendable and also to remind him about some of the things left behind by their predecessors so that we can hasten and conclude them so as to make people safe.
“We had serious cases of banditry, kidnapping and so many issues of insecurity in the country, we will not expect that to continue. So, we are going to give maximum cooperation to the new Service Chiefs, while also commending the outgone ones for their roles in addressing issues of insecurity.”
The forum Chairman said he used the occasion of his visit to thank President Buhari for the intervention in the financial constraints besetting the Northern Nigeria Development Company (NNDC) by settling the outstanding retirement benefits of workers of New Nigeria Newspapers.
“For the Northern Governors, we had a protracted problem in NNDC especially about the New Nigeria Staff, who were laid off or retired, about their gratuity and pension.
“The President intervened and that has taken a whole lot of weight from us as we address the issue of reviving the NNDC,” he said.
Governor Lalong said the Northern Governors are also happy with the President’s inauguration of a steering committee on the alternate education programme, which will help address the problem of out of school children.
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