The Federal Government’s determination to raise the tempo of its war on terror is coming under threat following a sharp disagreement between the Ministry of Defence and the nation’s military high command over who should call the shots in the campaign, BusinessDay has gathered.
There were strong speculations last night that Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, who was recently appointed as defence minister by President Goodluck Jonathan, had tendered his resignation following the disagreement with the military high command.
For some time now, government has been concerned over the continued insurgency in parts of the country, leading to unprovoked killing of innocent citizens and wanton destruction of property. It was for this reason that government recently effected some changes in the defence apparatus to more effectively combat the insurgency.
But this government effort may be jeopardised if the recent crisis rocking the defence apparatus is not quickly contained. Gusau is said to have stated in very clear terms that for effective control, monitoring and best result, the leadership and structure of the chain of command must be clearly spelt out and that he must be in the driver’s seat.
A source in the corridors of power quoted Gusau as saying that the alleged resignation was as a result of acts of “insubordination and indiscipline from Nigeria’s top military brass”.
However, the minister has denied that he had resigned.
Adebisi Adekunle, one of Gusau’s aides, who spoke with journalists in Abuja yesterday, dispelled the resignation rumour, describing it as “baseless”. “It is not true, please. The report is false, baseless and unfounded,” Adekunle said.
Reuben Abati, senior special adviser to the president on media, also described it as “false”, adding that the minister’s absence at Wednesday’s weekly cabinet meeting was because “he has flu”.
An informed source told BusinessDay that Nigeria’s top military officers had yesterday refused to attend a joint meeting with Gusau and his deputy, Musiliu Obanikoro, who is minister of state for defence.
It was gathered that the top military brass had kept the minister waiting for two days after he summoned them to a meeting, with different military service chiefs making excuses for their failure to meet promptly with him and his deputy.
Another source close to government told our correspondent that yesterday, after keeping Gusau and Obanikoro waiting for several hours, Alex Badeh, an air marshal and chief of defence staff, sauntered in alone for the meeting.
It was also said that when Badeh showed up, Gusau told him he was expecting all the chiefs of staff within the military, but Badeh replied that there was no need, and that he alone would be meeting with the minister as the chief of defence staff (CDS).
The source said that Badeh had pointedly told the defence minister that his appearance at the meeting was the collective decision of other military brass.
“An attempt by Obanikoro to intervene was rudely brushed aside, as Badeh asked him to ‘shut up’. Air Marshal Badeh called Obanikoro a ‘small boy’ and warned him that the military was not going to be taking orders anymore from bloody civilians like him,” the source said.
The altercation was said to have abruptly ended the meeting, as Gusau asked the permanent secretary in the ministry to transmit his letter of resignation to President Goodluck Jonathan.
BusinessDay learnt that President Jonathan was visibly shaken by the development, and immediately urged David Mark, the Senate president, to prevail on Gusau to rescind his decision.
The president was also said to have promised to see that the issue was resolved expeditiously. Jonathan, it was gathered, visited Gusau’s home in Abuja in a last-ditch effort to persuade him to stay at his ministerial job, but the minister had yet to be persuaded.
At the time of filing this story, a source stated that Gusau remained infuriated and refused to back down on his decision to leave the cabinet. He was said to have kept away from yesterday’s session of the Federal Executive Council, a weekly meeting of all ministers with the president. He reportedly told aides that he could not serve in a situation where military officers would show open disdain for their civilian leaders and him, being an experienced retired military man.
It was also gathered that Gusau had sent his letter of resignation to the Senate, which confirmed him after his nomination. However, Senate President David Mark was said to have refused to have the resignation letter read because “the senator was still hopeful of convincing Gusau to remain at his post”.
Aliyu Gusau was appointed, and sworn in as the substantive minister of defence on March 7, 2014 at the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence in Abuja.
In his acceptance speech, he had said: “The challenges are evidently daunting but surmountable; with the help of Almighty Allah and our collective resolve and determination, we will get to the destination that will give Nigerians the confidence that the country is indeed a safe place for everyone. As somebody who has been in the military, I have been following the trend of events in the ministry.”
By Our Reporters
