By Kingsley OMONOBI, Abuja
On Wednesday, 8th September 2010, the unfaithful day that President Jonathan’s axe dangled on the former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ogbonna Onovo, was one of the most harrowing days the former IGP would like to forget in a hurry if he can.

This is because Onovo who was appointed the 14th indigenous Inspector General of Police on July 24, 2009, was the least prepared for the sort of breaking news that hit him that day.

He had reported for duty that Wednesday morning and promptly set about getting operational briefings from the Commissioners of Police of Bauchi, Borno, Kano, Yobe and Kaduna states on the Boko Haram crises which the previous day reared its ugly head resulting in 721 in-mates of the federal prisons in Bauchi State breaking lose, out of which 105 of them were members of the deadly sect.

In addition to being briefed that the recurrence of the crises started after 200 Boko Haram members stormed the prisons facility to free their members and that 5 persons including a soldier, a policeman, a prison warden and two civilians were killed; and his subsequent directives on strategies to contain and prevent the spread of the crises, Onovo was busy preparing several reports which were to form the planks of a press briefing he had scheduled for the media that day.

Most importantly among them were the Sallah greetings he was preparing for the Moslem faithful on Eid-El-Fitri celebration and the smashing of a syndicate that has been forging SONCAP Certificates o behalf of the Standard organization of Nigeria, over the years, collecting huge revenue and deceiving Nigerians and manufacturers.

The briefing had been scheduled for 1pm at the conference room of the force headquarters. But five minutes later, as Onovo was getting ready to go for the briefing, a call came from the Presidential Villa, summoning him to a meeting. He thereafter directed the DIG in charge Force Criminal Investigations Department, DIG John Ahmadu, to address the media on his behalf.

Apparently thinking that the meeting may have been called to deliberate on the security implications of the renewed Boko Haram crises, Onovo was said to have left for the meeting armed with details of steps he had taken to contain the crises and to prevent it spreading to other neighbouring states.

On getting to the Villa, he was shocked with the President’s gift of a retirement message even though he had not completed 35 years in service and he still had until 2013 to be in the force.

Of all the service chiefs and the DG SSS that were sent packing, Onovo was the most shocked because he was the most visible in terms of preparation for the forthcoming 2011 elections due to the obvious importance of the Police to the success of any elections.

He had just returned from the United States of America where he had gone to inspect four additional helicopters that are expected to be delivered to the Nigeria Police for surveillance and air patrol, and they are expected to play key roles in the 2011 elections.

He had also been very busy meeting and discussing with the Professor Jega-led INEC and representatives of civil society groups on how to ensure that the one man one vote count, plus getting it right regarding free and fair polls. So even if rumours of changes in the security sub-sector had been in the air, Onovo himself would not have believed it

But Vanguard had reported about a month ago that top wigs in the ruling party were not comfortable with Onovo as the IGP because his antecedents in the various elections including those in Anambra State where Governor Peter Obi staged a come back, and Fugar in Edo State where Oshiomole’s Action Congress floored PDP’s candidate, may spell doom for 2011.

Moreover, he has sounded it loud and clear that in 2011 elections, he would play the neutral umpire as he was not a member of any political party and would not compromise with any body to thwart the will of the people.

He would however be remembered for bringing calm and less tension to the Police force because he was somebody that was not controversial. He did not interfere in the duties of his officers and he gave attention to issues as they came.

The popular saying among Policemen however, was that the former IG who saw his appointment as the handiwork of God to placate him for his patience and loyalty, had vowed not to get into trouble by pleasing human beings and displeasing God.

As the first IG of Igbo extraction, Onovo who felt he had an opportunity to prove to the world that an Igbo man can be entrusted with such a very high office and he would not end up in scandal, therefore went about his duties, focused on the job and not getting involved in some of the nuances of his predecessors.

Removal of Service Chiefs: How Jonathan shocked Abdurahman Dambazau (COAS) & Ishaya Ibrahim (CNS) CDS (Dike) had given notice to go

For those who have studied the Political scene especially since President Goodluck Jonathan assumed leadership of the nation, and concluded too hastily, that the President is weak or is laying foundation for his grave by allowing both former military president, Ibrahim Babangida and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, to contest the PDP ticket for next year’s election with him, the Commander in Chief’s action retiring the CDS, Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike, the Army Chief, Lt. General Abdurahman Dambazau, Naval Chief, Vice Admiral Ishaya Ibrahim and the DG SSS, Gadzama, his message is clear, ‘I am in charge’.

However, one word which this reporter knows the President is very conversant with and which he played last Wednesday, is ‘masterstroke’.

Before now, it was thought that appointment of the Chief of Army Staff was the exclusive preserve of the Hausas because the North has always felt at home with the position even if you gave all other positions to the other ethnic groups.

Looking at hierarchy of the Army in particular, the next in command to General Dambazau was Major General Atofarati, Chief of Policy and Plans who was thought to be in the running. Of the General Officers Commanding, the only officer of Igbo extraction, Major General Nwaguna, GOC 81 division, Lagos , had attained retirement age. Aside Nwanguna, the other GOC (1 division) not to come from the North was Major General Kamaldeen Role.

But the C-in-C choose to go outside the Army headquarters bracket, went to the Defence headquarters and picked an officer, Major General Onyeabor Azubuike Ihejirika as the new COAS. In the past, Chiefs of the Army staff had been appointed from the GOC cadre or Principal Staff cadre especially those with peacekeeping experience like General Agwai and General Luka Yusuf

So when Jonathan ‘decided’ that the time had come to remove the service chiefs, one man who rightly or wrongly was targeted in the wake of the smuggling of former President Umaru Musa Yar’adua into the country from Saudi Arabia, when it was thought that Yar’adua was gotten physically better, General Bello Dambazau (COAS), was in far away New York, USA, representing the country and the President in a United Nations assignment.

He had traveled with the minister of Defence, Adetokumbo Kayode and both were to return to the country on Friday, 10th of September. But Jonathan had other ideas. To say that his Principal Staff officers and aides were shocked with the changes behind Dambazau will be stating the obvious.

However, Dambazau should be credited as an Army Chief who took time and pains to scrutinize his officers before saddling them with appointments hence his decision to stick to them even when popular opinion is to the contrary and luckily enough, they did not disappoint him.

Some instances are those of the General officer Commanding 3 divisions, Jos, General Saleh Maina. Following the recurrence of the Jos crises, when ethic and religious killings became the order of the day, so many people especially original Jos inhabitants and the Christians called for the removal of the GOC simply because they erroneously believed General Maina took sides with the Hausa minority.

Another instance was the call for the sack of the Guards Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Mustapha because of the role he allegedly played in the smuggling of late President Yar’adua into the country from Saudi Arabia in the dead of the night.

But Dambazau, a Lawyer, who knew that both officers did no wrong or perpetrated the allegations leveled against them, allowed the officers to carry on with their jobs unhindered and till today, they have justified the confidence he reposed in them.

Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike

Of all the Service Chiefs that were removed, the IGP and the SSS DG inclusive, Saturday Vanguard can report authoritatively that the one that did not receive it as a shock was Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike, the former CDS. As far back as June 2010, it was gathered that the senior officer had prepared his handover notes and was prepared to leave, to pave the way for younger officers.

Even before now, Dike is said to have told the authorities that he wanted to retire willingly but President Jonathan would not want any part of it because of the stability he (Dike) has brought to bear on the armed forces following his appointment as CDS.

A ‘Vox Pop’ among soldiers in particular and officers of all the services revealed that for months before the sledge hammer came down, soldiers were going to churches to pray and fast because they did not want Dike to go; Moslems among were not left out especially when they remember that the Mosque at the Defence headquarters complex was upgraded and made accommodative by Dike, a Christian.

Recalling the works of Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike for which his retirement elicited some regret among troops and soldiers would take much space but suffice to say that, the Defence headquarters which hitherto was derided in the past and considered a dumping ground, was remodeled, rehabilitated, and reconstructed to the extent that it became place to be for officers and soldiers.

Dike not only made DHQ the best in terms of welfare and allowances for officers and men, he started the idea of building housing accommodation, fully furnishing it, providing standby and functional generators and providing staff buses that carried personnel to and from their offices.

For the officers, starting from the position of Deputy Directors in DHQ, all were provided with staff cars, something that was alien to most of the officers for a long time.

Operationally, Dike was the brain behind the federal government amnesty programme for the Niger Delta because he it was that did the paper work which culminated into the successful Amnesty programme we are all enjoying today.

Then the men on the field, be they in ‘Operation Restore Hope’ in Niger Delta, ‘Operation Safe Heaven’ in Plateau state, ‘Operation Mesa’ in the North and various ‘Peace Support operations’ around the world, would tell you very proudly that since Dike became CDS and assumed control of their affairs, they have never had it so good, with kitting, better allowances and regular and prompt payments.

Perhaps, one incident in which the Dike barred his fangs and for which President Goodluck Jonathan has remained eternally grateful to him, was his role during in the saga that engulfed the nation concerning who was in charge of affairs during former President Yar’adua’s absence from the country for over 3 months last year. His absence led to politicians, businessmen, non democratic elements, as well as people with vested interests pressurizing the military to intervene in the nation’s leadership and seize power.

But being the exposed and law abiding officer he is and the nation’s only 4-star general, Dike came out to warn the armed forces to stay off politics of the country, explaining to them that any thing of such would take the nation back to the dark days and that the worst democracy was better than the best military rule. He ensured that the armed forces remain subordinated to democratic tenets hence the continuation of democracy today.

For Vice Admiral Ishaya Iko Ibrahim

There is not much to say about this former Chief of the Naval Staff other than the fact that he was the only one among the service chiefs that was seen to be held to ransom by a click of his aides.

Under Ibrahim as CNS, the Navy did not achieve much and a lot of havoc that would have been created were prevented by the patriotic intervention by the other service chiefs and the CDS.

His removal therefore did not come as a surprise to many in the military, particularly the naval fraternity. Some of the appointments he made into very sensitive positions of the navy which affected the over all output, were based on family ties rather than on merit.

These same family ties resulted in the extending of the tenures of officers who having been told to go on retirement in accordance with the terms and conditions of service, are still holding offices today to the detriment of their colleagues.

Little wonder that on the day their retirements was announced, the Vice Admiral was away in Warri, attending the lavish commissioning of a block of classroom built for school children by Naval Officers Wives Association when more pressing problems of unserviceable ships etc are begging for attention.