Former spokesman for the Nigerian Air Force, Group Captain Sadeeq Shehu (retd.) has said that it is abnormal for the military to retire over 100 Major Generals from the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
Raye24reporters reported that over 100 Generals in the army, comprising Major Generals, Brigadiers General and some Colonels were recently told to proceed on retirement by the military authorities.
However, reacting to the development, Shehu said that the large number of Generals has led to difficulties in appointing service chiefs.
The former Air Force spokesman said this on Friday when he appeared as a guest on Arise TV from Kaduna.
He lamented that the country was wasting its resources by training a large number of Generals and later relieving them of their duties.
Shehu said, “The retirement is going to include the Generals in the Army, Air Force and the Navy. What is important is not the effect that this retirement will have on security, because we have enough Generals. If these people go, they will be replaced.
“However, it is important to note that it is not normal for the military anywhere in the world to retire about 100 Generals, and by my own estimate, we have close to 133 Major Generals in the Army, Rear Admirals in the Navy and Air Vice Marshals in the Air Force, that are leaving. We also have to remember that this is not the first time. When the last set of service chiefs retired in 2022, we had another batch of about 100 who left.
“The issue here is when you look at the money that is spent on training these people, whether it is foreign courses or the ones here, the experience we are losing and the money we are wasting on these people and then telling them to go is not good for the national economy.
Speaking further, Shehu insisted that the problem lies with the Ministry and the large numbers of Major Generals acids the services.
“On the individual level, I must put the premise that our President and Commander-in-Chief, according to the constitutional requirement in Section 217, has the right to appoint service chiefs and the constitution does not tie his hands that in appointing service chiefs, he must pick either the most junior. It is completely within his right to do that.
“But President Bola Tinubu came and met about 350 Major Generals across the services, so to be honest with you, his work was not even easy in picking his service chiefs. I think there is a problem that started long ago. We should not be having 350 Major Generals for the President to pick from. The services themselves or the superintendents in the Ministry of Defence approved that number,” he added.
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