Shekarau says Buhari breaking the law by keeping service chiefs with expired tenures

The former Kano governor has appealed to Buhari to let the service chiefs retire.

Senator Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano Central - APC) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of breaking the law by refusing to appoint new service chiefs.

All the service chiefs have had their time in the civil service extended by Buhari well past the natural expiration period of 35 years in service and/or on reaching 60 years of age.

Federal lawmakers in both the Senate and the House of Representatives have in the past urged the president to sack the service chiefs for their underperformance in tackling insecurity in Nigeria.

Senators this week passed another resolution for the sack of the service chiefs following terrorist group Boko Haram's slaughter of over 43 rice farmers in Borno.

Shekarau said in an interview with Channels TV on Thursday, December 3, 2020 that Buhari should let the service chiefs retire.

He said, "We should respect the law before we even talk about whether they're performing or not. He (Buhari) is definitely breaking the law.

"They are not staff of Mr President, they are staff of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

"Mr President hasn't the right to extend beyond what the law says."

Nigeria's service chiefs are currently serving beyond the natural expiration of their service [Presidency]

The former minister said the president can appoint the service chiefs in advisory roles after their retirement if he considers them indispensable in the war against insecurity.

Even though he noted the Senate's resolution on the sack of the service chiefs is advisory, he called on the president to respect the wishes of the parliament and the Nigerian people.

Buhari said in 2017 the extension of the chiefs' service time was due to a careful review of ongoing military operations across Nigeria, especially counter insurgency operations in the restive northeast where Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.

"This extension is pursuant of the powers conferred on the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by section 218 (1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and section 09.06 of the Harmonised Terms and Conditions for Service for officers (2012) Revised," the government said.

Buhari insists the appointment or sack of service chiefs is a presidential prerogative only he can exercise as he deems fit [Bernard Menigault/Alamy]

Boko Haram has killed over 30,000 people and displaced millions in the restive north east region since its insurgency escalated in 2009.

Overall, deaths from terrorism in Nigeria are now 83% lower than at their peak in 2014, according to the 2020 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report published last week, but Boko Haram killings increased in 2019 over the previous year.

The Islamic sect was ranked as the second deadliest terrorist group globally in 2019 ahead of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and Al-Shabaab, and only behind the Taliban.

Nigeria remains the third most-affected by terrorism across the world, a position it first assumed in 2015 after dropping from second place.

Shekarau lamented the terrible impunity of the terrorist group, especially in regard to the latest massacre where as many as over 80 casualties have been reported.

However, the former Kano governor does not agree with the recent calls for the government to employ mercenaries to complement the efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

He said such an action is a display of helplessness, and would indicate that Nigeria has given up the fight to eradicate the terrorists with available resources.