- Safiu Kehinde
The Coalition of Military Veterans of Nigeria has condemned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over his verbal assault of a serving Naval Officer Lt. Ahmed Yerima.
Wike had earlier this week engaged in a fierce face-off with the officer and his team over a disputed land claimed to be owned by former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo.
The clash which was captured in a viral video shared across social media platforms saw the Minister abusing Yerima, calling a fool after the military personnel denied him and FCT Administration officials access to the land.
The incident had sparked mixed reactions from members of the public, including prominent Nigerians with some defending the Minister while others condemned his action.
Also lending their voice over the incident the veterans in an official address presented in Kaduna by retired Col. Ibrahim Yusuf, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Military Veterans Community, described the incident as an embarrassment to the Armed Forces and an affront to disciplined governance.
Yusuf said the veterans were “taken aback” by the remarks allegedly made by the minister during the encounter, adding that a public office holder was expected to show restraint and decorum when engaging with uniformed personnel acting on official instructions.
According to him, issues involving operational conduct should ordinarily be channeled through the appropriate hierarchy, including the Chief of Naval Staff, rather than addressed publicly in a manner capable of undermining constituted authority.
He said, “The action of trading words with a uniformed officer demeans the dignity of the office of a minister and undermines the image of disciplined governance,” he said.
“A responsible public office holder should have engaged the Chief of Naval Staff privately. Using abusive language on a young officer acting on orders is unacceptable.”
The veterans said that officers of the Armed Forces carry the President’s commission and represent the sovereignty of the Nigerian state, stressing that any attempt to ridicule them in public could “diminish the authority of the Republic.”
Yusuf said the incident should serve as a reminder that public officials are appointed to promote the image of the administration and not to “harass or intimidate those carrying out constitutional duties.”
He commended the Ministers of Defence, Badaru Abubakar and Dr Bello Matawalle, as well as the Chief of Defence Staff, the service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police, for the “measured and professional manner” in which the matter was handled.
Reaffirming their loyalty to President Bola Tinubu, the coalition urged the Ph to consider redeploying the FCT Minister “in the interest of national security and the integrity of the administration.”
The veterans also called for an apology from the minister to the president and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of Nigeria, the affected naval officer and Nigerians.