The emergence of Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim as the new Chief of Defence Staff is a dramatic departure from the tradition of past when appointments were made at the expense of merit as the military watchers agreed that the new CDS is a round peg in the round hole of our security system writes BAYO OLADEJI, Our Defence Correspondent.?
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan recently re-organized the Armed Forces with the appointment of Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), (an elevation from his former position as the Chief of Naval Staff) paving way for the new Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Joseph Ezeoba, thus becoming the second Naval Chief to be elevated to that status. The first was Admiral Ibrahim Ogohi. The two immediate past CDS, Petinrin and Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike, emerged from the Air Force,
Jonathan, at their inauguration and decoration with the new ranks, tasked them to rise to the challenge of saving the nation from the twin problems of insecurity, occasioned by the terrorist attacks that Boko Haram has unleashed on the country, and economic sabotage caused by crude oil theft.
Said he,? “You have held your appointments on the basis of your commitment to professional excellence, diligence and faith in a strong, stable and prosperous Nigeria. As you bring these worthy attributes to bear in the discharge of your onerous duties, you are assured of my full support at all times.
“The Chief of Naval Staff along with his officers and men has the honorary responsibility of upscaling security in our territorial waters as the unacceptable rising incidences of crude theft must be tackled frontally. I expect the Chief of Naval Staff and other service chiefs to immediately go to work to urgently bring the issue of crude oil theft to an end.”
He congratulated Ihejirika for retaining his position, adding that the other service chiefs were so “appointed in recognition of their notable attributes of patriotism, excellence, loyalty, dedication, courage and unwavering faith in Nigeria”.
In his brief remarks, Ibrahim said, “My colleagues and I equally appreciate the enormous responsibilities our new positions have conferred on us. We are fully aware of the critical state of affairs and considerable security challenges facing our country, and which the Commander in Chief has confronted determinedly,” the CDS said.
Perhaps the new CDS announced the arrival of the Nigerian Navy on the global map when his leadership with the construction of a seaward defence boat, the first of its kind in the sub-region recently.
Not a few regard him as the best thing that has ever happened to Navy in recent years.
Perhaps, it was at the commissioning of the historic Seaward Defence Boat named NNS ANDONI that people that matter in the polity publicly identified with him as the locally built boat brought his ingenuity to the fore. President Jonathan was present there as such an historic project is a product of the transformational agenda of his administration. And OS Ibrahim did not forget to make this known to the C-In-C and other service chiefs and members of the National Assembly present.
That Ibrahim took the Navy to her greater height in recent history is incontestable despite the long years of neglect suffered under the prolonged military dictatorship. The encomium showered on the leadership of the Navy when they celebrated her 56th anniversary by way of goodwill message from all the stakeholders reveal that the laudable achievements of Ibrahim are not hidden away from them.
According to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Onyeabo Azubike Ihejirika said, “The Nigerian Navy has contributed immensely to the security, development and visibility of our dear country locally and globally.” Speaking in the same vein, the then Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal M.D.Umar (now retired) observed, “Nigerian Navy has left no stone unturned in carrying out its responsibilities of defending the nation against all forms of maritime threats as well as protecting our vast economic interests at sea.”
The then Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin succinctly put it this way, “ You ( Navy) have always made us proud bringing about stability to the domestic and international environments.”?????
The Acting Minister of Defence, Erelu (Dr) Olusola Agbeja Obada was strongly believed to be speaking the mind of the Commander-In-Chief when he praised the Navy for combating maritime crime and commended Ibrahim for succeeding where others had failed.
The landmark feats attained by the celebrated Navy Chief are classified into six sub-heads namely Nigerian Navy Transformation, Platform Availability, Personnel Welfare, Training and Capacity Building, Administration, and Special Projects.
Under the NN Transformation the achievements recorded include but not limited to the following; adoption and endorsement of the NN Transformation Plan, Establishment of a third operational command with Headquarters at Bayelsa state, Establishment of Naval Standard and Evaluation Branch at the Naval Headquarters, Restructuring of NN Holdings Limited, Upgrade of Naval Flying Unit to Naval Air Station Warri and Promulgation of Total Maritime Spectrum Strategy.
The Platform Availability has the following success; Acquisition of the following equipments,? NNS THUNDER, 3x24m OCEA Patrol Boats, 3x24m SHALDAG Patrol Boats, 2x95m Offshore Patrol Vessels, 6x17m MANTA Petrol oats, 4x12m Ballistic Boats, 4x9m Ballistic Boats, Refit of 6x Inshore Patrol crafts and Local refit of several NN ships and boats.
The Ibrahim leadership recorded the following under the welfare of the NN Personnel; completion of 70 housing units at Navy Town, Ojo, completion of 70 housing units in Abuja area, Completion of 112 housing units at Ogbara Barracks, increase in instructors’ Allowance in NN training schools, introduction of Special Welfare Allowance for NN Special Boat Service, Upgrade of medical facilities at NN Reference Hospital Ojo and NN Hospital, Warri and Rehabilitation of Road networks at Navy Town, Ojo, NN Dockyard VI, Tamandu Barracks Apapa and Nigerian Navy School of Armament Technology, Kachia.
Training and Capacity Building has the following landmarks, successful conduct of Ex NEMO 2011 and x OBANGAME 2012, and Commissioning of Bridge Simulator at Nigerian Defence Academy. The Ibrahim leadership also recorded the following under the Administration, Review of NN Dress Regulations, Upward Review of NN Welfare Loan Scheme, Medical treatment of several officers and ratings including evacuations and Provision of liberty buses for several units and establishments.
Special projects executed by NN under the watch of Admiral Ibrahim include but not limited to the following, Takeover of abandoned NN Specialist Hospital, Calabar, Commissioning of Admirality Suites Kaduna, Development of NN Business Park in Asokoro, Abuja, Construction and Commissioning of NNS ANDONI by President Jonathan and laying of the keel of the second locally built Seaward Defence Boat.?
With the catalogue of these laudable achievements President Jonathan is believed to have used merit and professionalism to choose Ibrahim as the new CDS. Speaking at the handing over to his successor, Admiral Ibrahim reminded Dele Ezeoba the need to stop oil theft in the maritime sector as ordered by the President. According to him, oil theft has become a stain on the white uniform of the Navy and tasked the new CNS to wake up to the challenge.
“In the course of Mr President handing over to us, he focused on the Navy, Navy is very strategic, I have said it in many places, it is under the Navy and under the providence of God that the prosperity of this country will grow.
“Mr. President talked about oil theft. I am going to end up my speech on that because it has been a major embarrassment; there is a lot of oil theft in our waters and partly due to the neglect of Navy over several years.? The President and the Commander in Chief is rejecting that very vigorously and if he cared to make mention specifically the Navy oil theft, then you begin to wonder a kind of responsibility the new Chief of Naval Staff has to shoulder .
“Oil debt is a major embarrassment to the president, and Mr. President spoke at length on this, almost two paragraph (of his speech) please try to solve that problem and you can then rest. And if you are even able to solve that problem very quickly then the wrong perception about us would be corrected and our uniform would come out brighter.
“Mr. President is very concern about the situation, Mr. President has directed us to stop it, He was disturbed, Mr. President’s directive is like an order, It is an order to the present Chief of Naval Staff and I am there, two Navy officers addressing a major concern of the President and the Commander-In-Chief”.
He tasked his successor to remember,” no leader can rise above the collective intellect of the group he leads. I want you to keep it in front of you. Please keep this family together because deriving directly from that philosophy is that if you throw somebody outside the fence you would not be able to help you discharge the office. “???
A maritime stakeholder said, “With Admiral Ibrahim as the CDS and Vice Admiral Ezeoba, one of his able lieutenants, the menace of oil theft, pipeline vandalisation, piracy and sea robbery would soon become history in our country.? I also believed Ibrahim as the CDS would wipe out the Boko Haram from the map of Nigeria because he has what it takes and I wish him the best.”