“Former Aviation Minister, Chief Osita Chidoka, criticized ex-President Muhammadu Buhari for allegedly causing a significant deterioration in Nigeria’s security apparatus due to his perceived biased appointments of service chiefs. Chidoka asserted that the country would require many years to recover from the damage incurred during Buhari’s eight-year tenure.
Chidoka, a former Federal Road Safety Corps Corps Marshal, expressed his views during a televised interview. He pointed out that a severe security breakdown plagued the nation, particularly during Buhari’s time in office, which he attributed to the President’s favoritism in appointing service chiefs. According to Chidoka, this approach resulted in the erosion of the effectiveness of security agencies.
He went on to highlight a broader issue, suggesting that security agencies had transformed into avenues for providing employment opportunities to individuals based on political and personal connections rather than merit. Chidoka contended that the highest echelons of the police, army, and the Department of State Services were now occupied by individuals he described as “unintelligent” when it came to managing security agencies.
Chidoka also noted that a significant portion of the police budget was allocated to salaries, leaving a limited percentage for recruitment expenses. This financial constraint, he argued, forced security agencies to seek alternative means to meet their needs, contributing to the overall breakdown of security, which he emphasized extended beyond just the South-East geo-political zone.”
Efforts to reach Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, were unsuccessful as calls to his telephone line were not answered and he had yet to reply to a text message sent to him as of press time.
