Service Chiefs Can Not Resign_DHQ
By Lazarus Zakaa, Abuja
The Defence Headquarters has said, Nigeria’s service chiefs are going nowhere untill President Muhammadu Buhari want to appoint new ones.
DHQ spokesperson Brigadier-General Oyeama Nwanchukwu said the service Chiefs cannot even resign their appointments.
Nwachukwu further clarified the Armed Forces conditions of service said the president can choose to keep on a service chief no matter his age or years in service.
Hopes of critics eager to see the service chiefs leave office have been dashed by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) which confirmed that the military officers can only be removed by the president of the federation.
Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu, made the clarification in an interview he granted to Daily Trust newspaper which was published on Sunday, February 2.
According to Nwachukwu, the service chiefs can only be removed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He explained that since their appointments, they are no longer controlled by the Nigerian Armed Forces but the country’s number one citizen.
He also noted that the extension of their appointments was at the discretion of the president, who is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces.
“The foregoing notwithstanding, the president, Commander in Chief reserves the prerogative to extend the period of the CDs or service chiefs irrespective of his age or length of service”. This is my submission.”
Nwachukwu dashed critics’ hopes further by explaining that the service chiefs cannot even resign their appointments.
“Service chiefs did not appoint themselves, they were appointed by the Commander in Chief, I think I need to reiterate that.
“The armed forces does not appoint service chiefs, the service chiefs did not appoint themselves, not even the Ministry of Defence has that prerogative, it is solely the prerogative of the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Eastitimes.com notes that Nwachukwu’s interview came just days after the House of Representatives demanded the resignation of the service chiefs over the insecurity facing the country.
