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Nothing wrong with deploying troops without Jonathan’s knowledge – Reps !!

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on March 4, 2010 at 7:57pm
WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE ARE RULING US ?

From JAMES OJO and AARON OSSAI, Abuja

House of Representatives yesterday applauded the Nigerian Army for deploying troops to secure the arrival of President Umaru Yar’Adua from Saudi Arabia, even without the knowledge of Acting President Goodluck Jonathan.

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Defending the action of the military to denounce the confirmation of coup threat, the House noted that deployment of troops by the Brigade of Guards was a mere routine exercise.

Spokesman of House, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, denied that the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, nor any member confirmed that there was a threat to truncate democratic rule when the House met behind closed door on Tuesday.
According to him, the House recognized the commitments of the military as one of the pillars on which democracy stands and that the leadership of the Armed Forces had clearly demonstrated uncommon loyalty to the Federal Government.

“Neither the institution of the office of the speaker, or the speaker himself, or any member insinuated any fact pertaining to coup plot during the executive session. “Instead, the House commended the Armed Forces for their diligence and commitment to democracy,” he stated.

Eyiboh noted that the report of coup threat in the media was in the imagination of the writer, urging journalists to show greater restraint in reporting the challenges facing the nation.

His counterparts in the Committee on Defence, Hon. Oluwole Oke, remarked that the current leadership of the Armed Forces deserve praises for remaining steadfast in the face of provocation.

According to him, the deployment of troops by the Brigade of Guards was purely routine, which can be done without the approval of the acting president. Likewise, Hon. Umar Bature, chairman of Committee on Foreign Affairs said it was not fair for anybody to allude that the House discussed the issue of coup threat at the closed door meeting.

As a retired army officer, he said the Brigade of Guards is mandated to protect the office of the president and commander-in-chief, hence there was nothing wrong in deploying troops to secure the arrival of President Yar’Adua from Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, the office of the Speaker Dimeji Bankole has denied a report in a national daily that he confirmed the threat of coup on Tuesday. Special Adviser to the Speaker on Communications, Kayode Odunaro, said the report was not attributed to Dimeji Bankole, or any named member of the House..

According to him, the issues discussed in an executive (closed door) session of the House was based on the utterances of Professor Dora Akunyili, minister of Information and a motion relating to the deployment of troops for the arrival of President Umaru Yar’Adua from Saudi Arabia.

“We state with all emphasis that at no point in the session did the speaker confirm a ‘coup threat’ or plot as speculatively reported in the lead story and we challenge the reporter to provide proof or name any member or members that confirmed a coup threat.
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Coup : Yaradua's absence puts Army on RED Alert restricts movement of troops

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on January 26, 2010 at 7:30pm
The Nigerian Army has restricted the movement of soldiers because of “rising tension” as President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua remains in Saudi Arabia receiving medical treatment. Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazau, told reporters yesterday that troops must have passes, and good reasons to travel outside the places their units are stationed. Fears of a military coup are rising because of Yar'Adua's absence since November 23, 2009 and the ensuing tension in the country occasioned by nationwide protests by civil society groups, Associated Press (AP) reported yesterday. Danbazau dismissed the “unnecessary, unwarranted and inflammatory comments” circulating which suggest that a coup might be needed to pull the country out of a constitutional crisis in Yar’Adua’s absence. He warned that a military coup would be akin to “dragging us back to the dark days of our nation's history”. “We are aware of the fact that there is tension in the country. We know it's not a secret," Danbazau said. "Everybody knows that. And we also got intelligence information that some people are trying to infiltrate our ranks." The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Paul Dike, also told reporters that military officials would not seek to overthrow the government. “Meddling in political issues does not complement our constitutional role in any way, shape or form,” Dike said. “I therefore warn all members of the armed forces to steer clear of politics. Ours is a military that is mindful of its past, conscious of its present and hopeful of the future.” Dike said: “Regardless of the imperfections of our political experiments, democracy remains the only acceptable form of governance.” Both men stated this at the inauguration of the Nigerian Army Peacekeeping Forward Operations Base along the Bill Clinton Drive that leads to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. According to Dike, “Pertaining to developments in our political scene, the Nigerian military would not in any way meddle in the political affairs of the country. Politics is better played by politicians.” Dike stated that it is the duty of all military personnel to defend the nation’s democracy “at all cost”. The Defence Chief further warned that meddling in political issues does not complement the military’s job of protection of the nation’s territorial integrity. Reacting to comments in the news media expressing fears of possible military take-over, Dike said: “From the recent comments and innuendos about our Armed Forces by certain segments of our society pertaining to developments in our political scene, I am compelled to remind everyone of the constitutional role of the Armed Forces which is primarily anchored on the protection of Nigeria’s territorial integrity. I therefore warn all members of the Armed Forces to steer clear of politics. Ours is a military that is mindful of its past, conscious of its present and hopeful of its future.” The Defence Chief further stated that it is imperative for all personnel of the military to “justify the trust of the nation’s leadership by exhibiting unflinching loyalty.” On peacekeeping operations, he noted that “Nigeria would, in the foreseeable future, continue to play a pivotal role at both regional and global levels in the efforts to create and sustain a peaceful environment. We must also realise that for as long as the nation exists, conflicts will occur that will require the deployment of peacekeeping troops. Furthermore, our deployment outside the shores of Nigeria confers the status of ambassadors of this nation. This presupposes that our troops will obey the laws of their host countries and must upon return join us in our collective resolve to serve our great nation with pride while upholding the tenets of democratic governance at all times.” Dambazau in his comment earlier noted that with “the subsisting democratic environment giving us a lot of advantages in our pursuit of professionalism, the Nigerian Army affirms its commitment to its constitutional responsibilities and will continue to contribute meaningfully to the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria. The Nigerian Army urges all stakeholders in our national affairs to eschew violence and promote peace and tranquility in Nigeria.” Reacting to accusations that the Army is culpable in the recent Jos crisis which claimed hundreds of lives, the Army Chief said that those who are accusing the Army of taking sides in the recent crisis in Jos, Plateau State, are missing the issues as all Army personnel, by their training “has placed us above primordial sentiments”. He said “no [Nigerian Army] soldier fired a shot. For this operation, there was no order for any soldier to fire. So, soldiers have not fired a shot.” Danbazau dismissed the accusations of genocide against the Nigerian Army during the crisis in Jos, saying that “we are too clean to do that.” Defending the Nigerian Army stoutly from any untoward acts, Dambazau blamed the accusations against the Army on “some persons who apparently do not value peace and are hell-bent on creating disaffection between the military and the public, particularly with reference to the Jos crisis. “Of course, we can safely assume that such persons find it impossible to commit other atrocities whenever we deploy to keep the peace, hence their frustration. Lest we forget, the military was swift and decisive in containing the Boko Haram debacle and will therefore not hesitate to equally deal decisively with any form of mayhem whenever the need arises. We want to state categorically that in the Nigerian Army, our religion is espirit de corps, while our tribe is the military profession. And our training has placed us above primordial sentiments. The barracks is not a political battlefield and our soldiers are not tools to be used for creating disunity.” He added that accusations that the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division, Major Gen Saleh Maina, is Muslim does not mean he would move against Christians as “the Chief of Staff is Yoruba. He is responsible for organising operations. The Garrison Commander is a Yoruba and Christian. And he supervises, deploys the troops. Anyone bringing religion into this is trying to bring tension.”
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