EDITORIAL: SERVICE CHIEFS – IS REPLACING THEM THE SOLUTION TO ELIMINATE INSECURITY?

Changing service chiefs is not uncommon in the history of the country. It is a custom that every new administration do in order to have a firm grip on the control of the forces by instilling their own officers to head the security agencies. Security is paramount in the development of a nation and they come in diverse forms such as securing the lives of citizens, securing properties, gathering intelligence reports, keeping crime rate in check but there are also many threats that constitute nuisance and undermine the delicacy of security.

Threats such as Terrorism, Insurgency, Banditry, Kidnapping, and Armed Robbery are very rampant in the country and efforts to mitigate the risks they cause are not doing much in producing satisfactory results. No threat is minor but the two most dangerous threats to national security are undoubtedly terrorism and insurgency. The effects of the threats are disastrous as they claim the lives of a lot of citizens prone to the attacks they operate on a periodical basis.

The lives of many citizens have been lost to the hands of these daredevils as their movements cannot be predicted and this should be a slap on the face of the intelligence agencies as well as the government. Loss of properties are also not uncommon because the perpetrators are interested only in crippling whatever they can to make the country lose track of progression. Economic growth is also affected as their actions obstruct the flow of some certain products which leads to the fear embedded in people from visiting the region to invest, practice farming, tour and a host of things that add value to the development of the nation’s economy.

Agencies such as the Nigerian Police Force, the Department of State Security, the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air force, the NIA, the NSCDC and many others who are responsible for creating a safe nation are not doing enough in reducing these crime rates to the barest minimal and this is pathetic although it may be caused by the nonchalant nature of the administration in charge through inadequate funding, lack of time-to-time sponsored training for field agents, corruption, budget cuts as well as some other obvious factors.

The ‘Lafiya Dole’ Joint Task Force of the security apparatus are reportedly working hard to curtail and reduce the rate at which insurgency is reigning in the Northeast but, Is the government giving them the adequate materials to curb the threat to a state of no return? The answer is obvious. Is the government providing more than enough to ensure the lives of citizens and all properties are not in danger? The answer is obvious. Unknown sponsors of insurgents causing the menace are also huge setbacks to the security nature of the country as they are unrelenting in unleashing this mayhem and putting every citizen in a possible danger.

In the 22-year old history of the country since democratic rule has been restored, the number of times service chiefs (which the Inspector General of the Nigerian Police Force is not among because he reports directly to the President unlike the Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Navy Staff and Chief of Air Staff who reports to the Chief of Defence Staff, who in turn reports to the Minister of Defence who reports directly to the President.) have been replaced is enormous and still, there hasn’t been a tremendous change or a very huge improvement so far. The Chiefs of Defence and Army Staff have been replaced 10 times while the Chiefs of Navy and Air Staff have been replaced 9 times, all within 22 years and 4 administrations and still insecurity is on the rise. Is replacing the service chiefs truly the solution to eliminate insecurity in the country? A meal for thought.