Operation Sweep!!!

President Jonathan carried out a clean sweep of the military and security leadership on Wednesday September 8, 2010 replacing the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police and State Security Service (SSS) heads and promoting the former Air Force Chief Air Marshall Oluseyi Petinrin to Chief of Defence Staff. With that action, Jonathan’s transition to the full powers of the executive presidency of Nigeria, which started when his predecessor took ill in November 2009, is now complete. Some might argue, with some justification that the transition actually began in 2007 when the PDP named a candidate with a known history of serious illness as presidential candidate and selected a young and healthy Jonathan as his running mate.

The military and the security system represent the ultimate manifestation of state power anywhere in the world. In the US, the power to wage war is perhaps the most potent and historically significant (for good or for bad) a president can exercise. President Barrack Obama had no choice but to fire his Afghanistan war commander General Stanley McChrystal in June 2010 when he made comments which appeared to disparage the country’s civilian leadership. Ultimately what separates mature democracies from unstable or evolving ones and military dictatorships is civilian control over the military and security. In “Memo to Goodluck Jonathan” (March 24, 2010), I wrote in this column “…I am sure you recognise that there are some critical institutions whose leadership you must still replace for your hold on power to be complete and assured.” The President has now followed that advice!!!

President Jonathan’s presidency, especially in a period of complex and tense transition could not be said to be fully established if he is unable to replace the service chiefs inherited from his predecessor. This is so especially as it was clear that he could not be assured of the loyalty of some of them, indeed perhaps the most critical ones. Observers will remember how the security services kept then Acting President Jonathan in the dark about late Yar’adua’s health status; flew him back into Abuja from Saudi Arabia without Jonathan’s knowledge, deploying military troops in Abuja and environs in the process; and prevented Jonathan from seeing the dying Yar’adua in Aso Rock after his return. The president has indeed been gracious in leaving some of the military chiefs in place for four months after he assumed the full presidency! But then that is consistent with the President’s emerging calm, conciliatory and consensus-building approach. It is a style as I have pointed out earlier that is liable to be interpreted as evidence of fear or weakness, but the decision regarding the military chiefs proves that Jonathan can be tactical, strong and decisive when the occasion demands. I suspect that the man’s opponents may now understand that they underrate him at their own peril!

The three most strategically important of the appointments relate to the choice of Major-General A. O Ihejirika as Chief of Army Staff; Alhaji Hafiz Ringim as Inspector-General; and Mr Ita Ekpenyong as SSS Director-General. General Ihejirika is the first Igbo after General J. T. U Aguiyi-Ironsi and the civil war to be appointed as army chief. As many have pointed out, his gratifying elevation represents the final shattering of the glass ceiling over Igbo officers in the military establishment. Coming after Ogbonnaya Onovo, another Igbo earlier appointed by Jonathan as Inspector General of Police (IGP), we may now be seeing the final levelling of career opportunities in the military and security for all Nigerians. Alhaji Ringim as IGP will have the duty of reducing crime and insecurity and helping to organise credible elections in 2011. Having worked with Jonathan as Bayelsa Governor, he is likely to enjoy the President’s trust and confidence. The fact that the Air and Navy Chiefs, Air Vice Marshall Mohammed Dikko Umar and Rear Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, as well as the IGP are Northerners communicates the fact that the president retains (or intends to retain) the trust and support of the North and will work to establish inclusive governance. Mr Ekpenyong, a Niger-Deltan will now take charge of the security services. Air Marshall Petinrin is now the most senior military chief with oversight over all the services.

The appointments will have important political consequences. They strengthen the president’s hand and send the signal that he takes seriously the duty of maintaining law, order and constitutional government in Nigeria. Jonathan now fully holds the levers of state power and can deploy them in the unfolding power game. Many will now think more carefully about attempting to intimidate him! His action is likely to have sent some jitters down the spine of his political adversaries who might have imagined that they were dealing with a president who is naive about power, and who can be confronted, cowed and overawed. He communicates to the Igbos that he is prepared to complete the re-integration of the Igbo into the Nigerian state and may have scored points in that geo-political zone by this action. The appointments represent the equalisation of opportunities for Nigerians of all ethnic groups and geo-political zones not just in the military and security establishment, but in all other government positions.

This action cannot hurt the president’s effort to stay in office beyond 2011!