Mr President,
I hope this letter reaches you in the
best position of health and
wellbeing, and I do hope you will
find the time to go through the
content of this letter. I feel duty
bound as an ordinary citizen of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria to
draw your attention to some of the
critical decisions that your
government has taken. These
decisions are very critical and
could determine the stability of our
country. I am aware that you have
advisors who have the
responsibility to guide you in taking
decisions, because as the leader of
the country you will have to rely on
the expertise of these advisors
before you take a final position on
issues. But I am also aware that a
lot of government appointees are
more interested advancing their
personal interest rather than
guiding the president in the right
direction.
Mr President, after the unfortunate
church bombings in Jaji, the Chief
of General Staff Admiral Ola Saad
Ibrahim ordered the removal of two
senior Army officers from their
respective positions in Jaji. The
senior officers are, Air Vice
Marshal Abdullahi Kure and Major
General Muhammad D Isa. As the
president and Commander in Chief
of the Nigerian Armed forces, I am
sure you will agree that this critical
decision cannot be taken without
your consent. I also believe that
you must have acted on the
counsel of some of your advisors,
but whether this is the right advice
is an issue that you need to find
time and think about. But the most
important thing is the implication of
this rushed decision which I would
like to highlight.
First of all, the two senior officers
were removed from their positions
without proper investigation being
completed. Professionally, there is
need for caution in handling
matters like this especially in a
country like Nigeria where religion,
ethnicity, and regionalism
constitute an unwritten form of
constitution, and whatever the
circumstance, a leader has to take
this into consideration if he is to
maintain the unity and peace of the
country.
Secondly, all the officers that were
removed are Muslims, and
immediately replaced by non
Muslim officers. If you feel strongly,
that these senior military officers
have to be redeployed from their
positions, you have the right to take
action as the commander in chief;
but looking at the security situation
in Nigeria, and the division and
lack of unity since the controversial
2011 general elections, you need
to be cautious by replacing them
with Muslim officers, that may
douse the tension such action
might generate; at least there
should be enough Muslim Army
Generals of the same calibre with
an unquestionable loyalty to their
country.
Thirdly, by replacing them with
Christian officers under the current
security climate, and if we are to
believe newspaper reports that the
entire control of Jaji is now in the
hands of Christian officers after the
redeployment of Air Vice Marshal
Kure and Major General Isa, be
rest assured that such a move will
cause rancour and ill feeling
especially from religious leaders,
as it will definitely be seen as an
attempt to use divide and rule
tactics in favour of one religion
over the other.
Mr President, beyond the points I
have raised, my main concern in
writing this letter is actually the
wider implication this move could
have on the stability of the Nigerian
Army. The military institution in
Nigeria is in my opinion the most
professional, disciplined, and the fit
for purpose institution in the
country. As imperfect as the army
may be, the brave Nigerian
soldiers have stood for the country
in the most difficult circumstances.
They fought a bitter civil war to
keep the country united; they have
extended their professionalism in
brining stability to foreign countries
like Congo in the 1950s, Sierra
Leone and Liberia in the 1990s,
and are currently serving in the
region of Darfur in Sudan aimed at
bringing stability. But their most
important contribution recently, is
staying away from politics since the
return of civilian rule in 1999, and
even at the time when cynics
thought they could truncate our
democracy when president
‘Yaraduwa was sick, they worked
hard to remain in the barracks,
which enabled you to become
Acting President and later
President and Commander in Chief
of the Armed Forces. The
composition of the military
command at the time, comprising
of both Muslims and Christians
officers working together most
have contributed greatly in
stabilising the polity; and I believe
you can learn a lesson from that.
Finally, Mr President I advise you
to avoid anything that will divide
the Nigerian Army under whatever
circumstance, because the
implication of that will not be good
for our country. I strongly
recommend that you create time to
read more about the political
history of Nigeria especially
between 1960 and 1970, and try to
learn the lessons of what disunity
in the Army could cause the
country. I also advise that you
consult widely with former Nigerian
leaders and senior military officers
who are still alive on issues related
to the military, as they have the
experience that current members
of the armed forces may not have.
Long Live the Federal Republic of
Nigeria
Sincerely,
Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u
11: 53
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
05/12/12