A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, has waded into the controversy surrounding the President’s decision to retain the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
Speaking on the issue , George, a one-time Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, argued that though the President reserved the right to hire and fire his service chiefs, only the creation of state police would address the growing insecurity challenges across the country.
He said, “I don’t know if retaining the IG has some ethnic connotations. There are two evils the British left for us in this country: religious and tribal bigotry. Anything we do in this country, people will see it through the lenses of ethnicity and religion.
“As the Commander-in-Chief, it was his choice to make. One would say the choice of the new service chiefs is evenly spread across the geopolitical zones.”
According to the retired Navy Commodore, the recent changes in the police command hierarchy may have spared Egbetokun the broom that swept other service chiefs away on Friday.
He noted that the trouble with the military was the “obvious lack of professionalism” owing to its incursion into politics some decades ago.
“What almost destroyed the military is its incursion into politics. The oneness we used to enjoy nearly went with the wind. Today, military colleagues often envy one another. In our own time, we didn’t know anything like that. Whoever was next to you was your comrade, your brother. We lost it when we went into politics.
“We must try to retain professionalism in the military. The lack of a solution to insurgency is because we have refused to establish state police. Policing is local. When the state police is established, the boys will be recruited from their localities. They speak the language, know the culture, and know themselves,” he added.
In his contribution, the National Publicity Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Mr. Ladipo Johnson, expressed concern over the failure to relieve Egbetokun of his job.
He said, “As a party, we wonder what informed the tenure extension granted to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, by the President when he clocked 60 not long ago. The President has changed his service chiefs, and since the IGP is one of them, we don’t know the reason for his retention. Like other Nigerians, we are watching.”
But the All Progressives Grand Alliance and the Young Progressives Party commended the President for his action, adding that his decision to keep faith in Egbetokun should be respected.
Supporting the President’s resolve to retain the IG, APGA, through its National Publicity Secretary, Ejimofor Opara, said, “The Commander-in-Chief has access to information that is not at our disposal. I am sure he did it (retention of Egbetokun) in the best interest of the nation.”
His YPP counterpart, Wale Martins, agreed with this position.
He said, “The recent appointment of new service chiefs, in our view, adequately reflects Nigeria’s ethnoreligious and regional diversity. However, we believe that the shake-up in the security architecture should have been more comprehensive.
The challenges confronting our national security are systemic and widespread; hence, no arm of the security apparatus should have been exempted from review.
Considering that the IGP’s retirement is already long overdue, retaining him raises legitimate concerns about the need for fresh perspectives and renewed energy. Those who have been part of the old order with limited results to show are unlikely to deliver the transformative change Nigerians desire in the security sector.”