A public affairs analyst, Mahdi Shehu, has alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent reshuffling of Nigeria’s service chiefs was driven by selfish political interests rather than the worsening insecurity across the country.
In a post on his official 𝕏 handle on Saturday, Shehu claimed the President acted out of fear and survival instincts following speculations of a coup plot.
Quoting James 3:16 of the Bible, Shehu wrote, “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.”
He argued that the scripture reflected Tinubu’s alleged motives, saying, “The scriptural references to man’s selfishness are well narrated and documented with visible confirmation by man himself. Man’s greed and insatiable economic desires give further credence to his infinite capacity for selfishness.”
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Shehu faulted the President for ignoring several violent crises across the country while retaining the same military leadership.
“The ongoing wanton killings nationwide did not prick Tinubu’s conscience to rejig his security architecture,” he wrote.
He listed incidents of killings and sacked villages in Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger, Yobe, Borno, Benue, Taraba, Kogi, and Nasarawa States, lamenting that these tragedies were not enough to force changes in the military.
“But the moment his brand of democracy came under what was officially denied yet unofficially confirmed as a coup, he acted swiftly and panicky,” Shehu added.
Describing the shake-up as “a coup shrouded in darkness,” Shehu alleged that the President only became decisive when his political survival was at risk.
He further criticised Tinubu’s handling of the economy, accusing him of retaining what he called “a wizardly economic team” despite widespread hardship.
“With 139 million Nigerians facing abject poverty and hunger, and other gory economic failures, Tinubu is yet to sack his economic team,” he stated.
President Tinubu had on Friday announced a major shake-up in the military. A statement by his media aide, Sunday Dare, confirmed the appointment of Olufemi Oluyede as the new Chief of Defence Staff, replacing General Christopher Musa, alongside other new service chiefs.
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