Orji Kalu: Appointment of junior officers as service chiefs causing loss of trained military manpower

Orji Kalu, senator representing Abia north, has urged the senate to review the Armed Forces Act to address what he described as the “wastage of trained military personnel” caused by the arbitrary appointment of service chiefs.

Kalu spoke on Thursday during the plenary while contributing to the debate on the general principles of a bill seeking to repeal and re-enact the Armed Forces Act.

He said the practice of appointing service chiefs from junior military courses had forced many senior officers into premature retirement, leading to the loss of experienced manpower and public resources spent on training.

“In amending this law, I want the committee to look into the issue of military courses,” Kalu said.

“For example, the current chief of army staff is from course 41. That means everyone from courses 39 and 40 has had to retire.

“We spent a lot of money training these officers, and when they are retired prematurely, it becomes a waste of Nigerian taxpayers’ money.”

Kalu argued that appointments of service chiefs should respect the hierarchy of courses within the armed forces to ensure fairness and continuity.

“If the commander-in-chief wants to appoint a chief of army staff, naval staff, or air staff, it should follow the course order. Each course should have a fair chance to lead,” he said.

“We have had instances where a single appointment led to the retirement of over 200 generals who still had seven or eight years to serve. This is wasteful and unfair.”

He added that such reforms would strengthen the military’s unity and professionalism.

“The Nigerian Army should be one army, one people, and one voice. We must ensure the system in the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) is respected,” Kalu said.

In response, Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president and presiding officer, cautioned lawmakers to exercise restraint in proposing reforms that could infringe on the president’s constitutional powers.

“We need to be very careful,” Barau said.

“The military has its own traditions, and they understand them better than we do. The commander-in-chief also has the latitude to appoint as he wishes.

“When reviewing this law, we must balance both the authority of the president and the military’s established traditions.”

He advised that the armed forces be fully consulted during the legislative process to ensure that any amendment reflects both military realities and constitutional provisions.

The bill, sponsored by Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, the senator representing Katsina central, later passed for the second reading.