A security analyst, Bulama Bukarti, has said that merely rotating Nigeria’s service chiefs will not solve the country’s security challenges.

He stated this on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, following President Bola Tinubu’s recent reshuffle of the military leadership.

Bukarti acknowledged the credentials of the newly appointed service chiefs but stressed that reforms, not rotation, are what matter most.

“All of the new service chiefs are eminently qualified when you look at their background in their military and their paper qualifications,” he said on the show.

Bulama Bukarti is a Senior Fellow, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

He, however, cautioned that changes in personnel without structural reform would make no difference, emphasising that the key issue lies in innovation and reform.

“We have been here many times and seen service chiefs change. The problem is that wherever you have leadership renewal without reforms, it just becomes rotation, and rotation alone is not going to solve our national security problem.

“It’s not about their qualifications on paper; it is about their initiative. Do they have enough initiative to reform the Nigerian security architecture?” he said.

Reshuffle

In a major shake-up on Friday, President Bola Tinubu replaced General Christopher Musa with General Olufemi Oluyede as the new Chief of Defence Staff.

Other appointments include Major-General W. Shaibu as Chief of Army Staff, Air Vice Marshall S.K. Aneke as Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral I. Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff.

Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye retained his position as Chief of Defence Intelligence.

The appointments were announced in a statement by Sunday Dare, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication.

It added that the new appointees must “justify the confidence reposed in them to further enhance professionalism, vigilance and comradeship.” All appointments take immediate effect.

Calls For New War Strategy

The analyst urged the new service chiefs to reform Nigeria’s war approach to tackle insurgency more effectively.

“Over the past three years, we have not seen any dramatic change in Nigeria’s fighting philosophy.

“It is not the rotation that is important; it is whether they have the guts to reform the Nigerian military and security architecture. Until and unless we do that, we may continue to rotate leadership, but nothing good will come out of that,” he said.

He called for a shift from traditional to guerrilla warfare strategy, urging the officers to “take the new mandate of the president and reform the system.”

Bukarti also reacted to reports of about 140 officers retiring amid the reshuffle, saying it had both positive and negative sides.

He noted that while it was concerning to lose such numbers, it would “give space for officers who have been stagnant and can gain promotion.”

He added that no one anticipated the sack of the service chiefs, describing the move as evidence that “the Presidency was not satisfied with the job done.”

On coup rumours, he cautioned that military takeovers have always failed and urged politicians to address Nigerians’ frustrations by stepping up and delivering.

Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), however, questioned the President’s decision, describing the move as “sudden” amid reports of an alleged coup.

In a statement by its spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the government owed Nigerians an explanation.

The party expressed concern over political instability in the Sahel region and urged the government to focus on restoring national security.

The outgoing chiefs, including General Musa, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, and Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, had been in office since June 2023.

They oversaw key military operations against Boko Haram, ISWAP, and armed bandits in the north-east and north-west. (Channels TV, excluding headline)