The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has warned that the change of Service Chiefs should not become cosmetic

Speaking through its spokesman, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the NEF said the nation should not be carried away by the change, stressing that while it is important that the Armed Forces has new leadership, it is more pertinent to note that the new leaders understand that they have a huge task.

Dr Baba-Ahmed who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily said: “At last it appears the president has conceded that it is time for him to appoint new Service Chiefs, our hope is that he is not just responding to public opinion but he himself acknowledges the fact that the old Service Chiefs have run out of steam and their leadership of the service is not producing the results it was intended to produce.”

The Director, Publicity, and Advocacy of the Northern Elders Forum was of the opinion that the President as Commander-In-Chief has the responsibility to lead the new Service Chiefs in a better way than he did in the past.

“The key is the president, he has to change his attitude to the defence and security of this country. You cannot run this country with all these security challenges and maintain the distance that he maintains with what is going on.

“You listen to the president and his spokespeople are telling you the situation is better than it was in 2015. It is a very disturbing thing when you hear this.

“There are no suicide bombings now but the population of Nigerians living under Boko Haram is large, huge, and unacceptable.”