Senator Orji Uzor Kalu [APC, Abia North] has cautioned President Bola Tinubu against the growing practice of overlooking senior military officers in favour of their juniors when appointing new service chiefs.
Speaking during Thursday’s Senate debate on the Armed Forces Act Repeal and Re-enactment Bill, 2025, the senator representing Abia North said such appointments hurt morale within the armed forces and waste years of investment in senior officers who are then compelled to retire prematurely.
He lamented that this pattern had become common in recent years, particularly in the selection of the Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, and Chief of Air Staff.
“Presidents should stop appointing officers for these top military positions above their seniors who are still in service,” Kalu said.
“For instance, when you appoint a Course 41 officer as Chief of Army Staff or Chief of Naval Staff while officers from Course 39 and 40 are still in service, you force them to resign early. This wastes years of experience and public funds used to train them.”
The former Abia State governor described the situation as demoralising and economically unwise, saying the federal government must reconsider how military leadership transitions are handled.
However, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary, interrupted Kalu’s remarks, warning senators to tread carefully on the matter. “We should be careful in this matter because it’s strictly a matter of military tradition that we do not fully understand,” Jibrin said.
The bill under consideration, sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, seeks to modernise Nigeria’s military legal framework to align with constitutional and operational realities.
Despite the tense exchange, the Senate passed the bill for second reading and referred it to the Committees on Defence, Army, Navy, and Air Force for further legislative work. The committees are expected to submit their report within four weeks.
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