REP KALU APPLAUDS PRESIDENCY FOR DISENGAGING SERVICE CHIEFS

House of Representatives, on Tuesday, said that with the appointment of the new Service Chiefs, fresh strategies, energy and new leadership style in the fight against insurgency were now being expected.

It said that hope was alive that the new military top brass would bring in new innovation that would be result-orientated in the task of securing the country, its citizens and their properties.

The House spoke through its Chairman, Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Benjamin Kalu following the announcement of the fresh appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday.

Recall that the National Assembly has had squabbles with the Presidency over the resolution to sack the Service Chiefs and inject freshness into the system.

Kalu said that the National Assembly felt happy that the President has eventually heeded the counsel of the parliament of disengaging the erstwhile service chiefs.

The spokesman of the House, however, stated that the new Service Chiefs were no magicians, calling on Nigerians to rally round them for optimal performance.

He said: “The House feels glad that once again, the Executive has considered the opinion, desire, ambition, hunger, the yearning of the people in making this.

“As we all know, the definition of democracy has to do with the government or the people, by the people and for the people. The last part of this definition which is for the people element ought to be the guiding light in processing decisions made by those in leadership.

“The question now should be how much of this decision has for the people element in it? And I can assure you that this is what propelled the House of Representatives over these years of yearning, months of yearning through motions and resolutions on the need to shift a little bit our security architecture to reflect a more secured country, citizens and lives and properties. And this is why we have pushed for it.

“Though it appeared that the Executive was not listening, I am sure that today, they have shown Nigerians that they a listening leadership.

“They have accepted the resignation of the service chiefs whom we appreciate and thank so well for wearing our national colours and badges, for protecting and our lives and properties the way they knew best.

“Who knows if they were not, whether it wouldn’t have been worse. So, we would always be grateful to them for laying their lives to fight for this nation.

“Having said that, the question now becomes, what does this hold for the lives and the properties of Nigerians, the citizens of this country? What it holds should not be an over-bloated expectation.

“What it holds is that new energy is now called in. A new focus is now called in. It holds that new strategy, tact will now be employed.

“A new leadership culture, the style will now be employed by these new ones that have just been anointed to secure our lives and properties. And I am sure as Nigerians, we should not expect them to become the magicians or the Messiahs.

“What we should expect from these ones should be the need to put the people first as they process their own decisions. And in support of that give them to encourage, extend the hand of friendship and partnership, give them support to enable them to work as a team and achieve the objective that all of us have been longing for.

“This is the only way they will perform very well. Our support is in fact, a fundamental aspect of their success.

“Having said that, I want to appreciate the parliament for consistently insisting that there is a need to change what appeared to us as a system that becomes monotonous, activities that became something that was suffering from the law of marginal utility we were taught in elementary economics where the repetition of a particular action reduces motivation and interest and reduces productivity.

“At a time, it appeared that the motivation was no longer there for those who were leading this particular security outfit.

“Now, the ones who are coming on board are coming with the motivation to improve and prove the president and a lot of rights that new energy was needed. They are coming having observed the gaps that existed when the other leadership was there.

“And I am sure they are coming with innovation that will alter the tradition and bring the particular product that we are looking for, the solution for the interest of the federal republic of Nigeria.

“So, I commend Mr President, we commend him and also the leadership of the National Assembly for persistently maintaining their position. We commend Mr President for taking the step for the interest of Nigerians.

“We also thank those who are leaving, encourage those who are coming on board to that we will use all our legislative interventions, support to make sure that they are able to discharge their expected duty as and when due.

We are also promising Nigerians that we are going to be very diligent in carrying out our watchdog function in the course of oversight responsibilities on the new leadership that is coming on board.

“We wish them all the best and I am sure that Nigeria is going to be a safer place than it was before now.

They may not be the magicians but I am sure they are bringing new strategies that will work, the new speed that will take us closer to the solution.”