Mallam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to the President Muhammadu Buhari, has described as ‘out of place’ the clamour for the sack of service chiefs.
According to Shehu, the president has the prerogative to appoint or sack any of the country’s service chiefs, adding that the president keeps the service chiefs as long as he is satisfied with their performance.
Reports of the gruesome killing of 43 rice farmers at Zabarmari in the Jere Local Government Area of Borno State last Saturday sparked fresh call for the sack of the service chiefs.
But Shehu said the decision to sack or retain any of the service chiefs is entirely the president’s.
He made the statement while during interview session with Arise TV on Monday night.
The presidential spokesman said: “I am not aware that the tenure of service chiefs is subjected to any law of regulation that is clearly stated. They serve at the pleasure of the president and (if) the president is satisfied with their performance, he keeps them. The buck stops at his table —with due respect to the feelings of Nigerians.
“The clamour for the sack is out of place considering that the president is not subject to the opinion of opposition political party which has clamoured for this all the time. It is entirely his own determination; he decides who he keeps as his service chiefs and for how long.”