Insecurity: Trouble trolls as more Nigerians ask Buhari to sack service chiefs

Following fresh calls for the dismissal of the security chiefs by Nigerians, with some senators and regional groups amidst relentless state of insecurity in the country, conducted online polls to measure the opinion and feelings of ordinary Nigerians.

The surveys carried out on social media by Punch on Friday indicate that more Nigerians want President Muhammadu Buhari to fire the service chiefs, describing them as “failures”.

On Twitter poll which was open at about 11am to 5pm involves 3,137 persons, about 82.6 per cent of the voters (2,591 respondents) called on Buhari to sack the service chiefs while 5.3 per cent of the respondents (166) were against that. The third option – I don’t care – was the view of 12.1 per cent of the voters (380).

On Facebook, as of the time of filing this report, the poll which opened at 1.30pm had 2,916 respondents. According to the poll, 91.7 per cent of the voters (that is, 2,674 respondents) called for the sacking of the service chiefs while the remaining 8.3 per cent (242 respondents) voted that they should not be sacked.

Some senators on Wednesday called on Buhari to sack the service chiefs and appoint new ones as they deliberated on a motion on the security problems and the need to restructure the security architecture.

The service chiefs are Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

Likewise, regional groups including Igbo apex socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere and Pan Niger Delta Forum, recently backed the call by the lawmakers to sack the service chiefs.

Many comments on the pages of Punch newspaper on Facebook and Twitter are also largely in support of the sacking of the service chiefs.

For instance, Nwafor Obiorah in a Facebook post, said, “They have overstayed, a lack of new ideas, they are not supposed to stay for more than three years.”

“They should be sacked because they have failed in their responsibility,” Kenoye Tolukorimi also said on Facebook.

Ezinne Okoro, said, “Which kind question be this naa? You don’t need to ask biko (please). They should have all resigned since (Buhari inclusive) if they had shame. But unfortunately, they don’t have.”

Most of the comments on the social media platform centered on people saying sacking the service chiefs would not be enough. They said Buhari should resign after sacking them.

Om’Oghene Dennis Orido, in his post on the platform, said, “In addition to their sacking, Buhari should as well resign as a matter of urgency.”

Also, David Omochi, who described killings under the Buhari administration as too much,said, “after sacking them, Mr President should sack himself for disappointing in five years”.

“PMB should sack them with himself included, they are all failure (sic),” Casmier Anthony Chinonso said on the social media platform.

On Twitter, @Zismark1 noted that sacking the service chiefs was important to discourage complacency and mediocrity.

“Whoever comes next will know that they can be sacked if change isn’t implemented, and that lack of security in unacceptable in such a nation as Nigeria. We have come forward too much to be dragged back by little things as insecurity (sic),” @Zismark1 said.

@FashanuFemi, who also commented on Twitter said, “Sack them and appoint new service chiefs that have modern security experience.”

According to @OnwubikoUche1, new ideas are needed as “you can’t still be doing something in the same way and expect different result”.

However, @fabulouskelechi, who noted that the option in the poll were not enough, said, “Sack them and resign, this list is incomplete. Add resign to it…”

Then, @sf_adebayo, said beyond sacking the service chiefs, the government should order their probe, “Sack them all. Arrest and investigate them,” he said.