The clarification came just as more details emerged which sources said fast-tracked the retirement of the Chief of the Defence Staff and two Service Chiefs with one of the Service Chiefs reportedly speaking arrogantly to the President on the issue of who was more qualified to become the CDS, hence the abrupt decision to retire them.
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The president, who spoke through his special adviser on communications, Mr. Segun Adeniyi, said the changes had been on the cards for sometime but that it took this long because of his belief that things should be done properly at all times. Adeniyi, yesterday afternoon thanked them for their services to the nation. That was at least about two hours before their meeting with the Defence Minister, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed.
"In keeping with his abiding belief in due process, President Yar'Adua has directed that the Army Council as well as the Navy and Air Force Boards should meet early next week to ratify the promotions of the Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs to their new ranks. "He will decorate them with the insignias of their new ranks thereafter."
Rivalry: Meanwhile, more details emerged at the weekend which sources said fast-tracked the retirement of Azazi and the Service Chiefs with one of the Service Chiefs reportedly speaking arrogantly to Yar'Adua on the issue of who was more qualified to become the CDS, hence the abrupt decision to retire them. Sunday Vanguard sources also disclosed that 18 senior officers of the rank of major general in the army and equivalent in the Navy and Airforce have received letters informing them that under the new dispensation, their services would come to an end.
Aside the disrespectful manner with which the former Chief was said to have spoken before the president, the issue of suspicion and disharmony (cold war) between the former CDS and the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt. General Luka Yusuf, which reportedly started shortly after Yusuf assumed office as COAS and continued until they were retired, reportedly caused apprehension to government. The distrust between the two generals allegedly began when, on assumption of office, Yusuf carried out postings of officers in a manner that suggested that some of the officers posted by Azazi while he was the Army Chief had questionable background and, despite efforts to correct this situation, Yusuf put down his feet on what he wanted.
The action of Yusuf, of totally side-lining Azazi even though he (Azazi) was still in service and at a higher office of CDS, did not go down well with Azazi who believed that, as the number one military officer, he deserved some courtesy from his successor. The posting of the former Director of Military Intelligence, Major General Ovo Adekhegba, to Defence Headquarters, his subsequent retirement, and averment before an Abuja court in a sworn affidavit that when the former COAS invited him for a meeting in his office, the former CDS (Azazi) directed him not to answer the call is believed to be a pointer to the distrust.
Another part of the disagreement between the two generals came about when the Presidency allegedly directed Yusuf to investigate the regular occurrence of pipeline vandalization in the Niger Delta and proffer solutions on how to curb the menace. This allegedly did not go down well with Azazi because, apart from the fact that such a sensitive matter of security for pipeline vandalization fell within his purview as CDS, the fact that the investigation was kept as a secret from him meant that there was attempt at undermining him. This reportedly did not go down well with Azazi and he subsequently protested the action.
The minister of defence was said to have had to invite the two generals to his office before the issue was resolved with Yayale assuring the CDS that he had the authority of Mr. President to tell him that nobody was derogating his office or person, before nerves were calmed.
However, what was believed to have endeared the former COAS to senior military officers was the way he took the bull by the horn to not only unearth the sale of arms and ammunition from the Nigerian Army Arms Depot in Kaduna, but also the action to court martial those involved regardless of whose ox was gored. Sunday Vanguard learnt that the plan to retire the Service Chiefs had been on the drawing board for about four months now but the Presidency was bidding its time.
On why the Service Chief who allegedly spoke arrogantly to Mr. President behaved that way, it was gathered that it came about at a meeting where the issue of who should be the next CDS if the Service Chiefs were retired came up for discussion as a way of carrying everybody along. While Azazi allegedly said the position should go to the Airforce after they would have retired, Yusuf was said to have suggested that it should go to an Army officer following the trend under Obasanjo administration.
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Military analysts may interpret the former COAS' suggestion as trying to pave the way for his appointment as CDS. Azazi was said to have convinced Mr. President that the position of the CDS was rotational and not the exclusive appointment for the army alone. He reportedly insisted that the office of the CDS is now the turn of the Airforce. This led them back to the records where it was discovered that the Airforce had held the slot once through Air Marshal Almin Daggash (rtd) and the Nigerian Navy through Admiral Ibrahim Ogohi (rtd) before the decision was taken to give the appointment to Air Marshal Paul Dike.
ther reasons adduced by sources as responsible for the sacking of the Service Chiefs include involvement of soldiers in illegal bunkering and inability of the military high command to curtail it. The military authorities under them were also accused of non-payment of soldiers involved in peace keeping missions abroad their due entitlements while funds earmarked for the payment were oftentimes kept in fixed deposit accounts to yield interests for the officials concerned.
In a related development, a total of 18 major generals and equivalent in the Navy, Airforce and the Defence Headquarters, who are qualified for retirement following the appointment of the new Service Chiefs, have started packing . Their statement, said Yar'Adua personally met with the outgoing Service Chiefs and expressed his appreciation for their services before they eventually met with the defence minister, Ahmed Yayale.
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The statement read: "In view of comments and speculations in the media concerning the recent changes in the command structure of the armed forces, the Presidency wishes to affirm that the changes were made in the normal course of affairs and were not a reaction to any particular occurrence.
"The changes announced on Wednesday were certainly not made in response to any perceived threat to government and the stability of the nation. Attempts to tie the changes to statements by some politicians should therefore be disregarded as mere mischief.
"The fact is that a change of guards in the armed forces had been on the cards for sometime since both the former Chief of Defence Staff, General Andrew Azazi and the former Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Ganiyu Adekeye became due for retirement several months ago.
"The changes were not made earlier because of the president's insistence that things be done bags and baggages from the services headquarters preparatory to going home. According to investigations, 12 of the army generals are Course 14, 15 and 16 intakes of the Nigerian Defence Academy and they include a serving major-general and chief of the armed forces of a West African country where Nigeria played a key role in restoring peace through ECOMOG.
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Others include a four-star general and the Force Commander of a United Nations Peace Keeping Mission in a North African country, three major-generals and principal staff officers at Army Headquarters, two general officers commanding (GOCs) and four corps commanders in the army; from the Navy are two rear admirals while the Airforce has four air vice marshals.
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