THE names of two former military chiefs: General Alexander Ogomudia and Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike, have surfaced as Nigerians await the Federal Government on its choice as the next Minister of Defence.

Dr. Bello Mohammed Haliru was relived of the post penultimate Friday by President Goodluck Jonathan, alongside the National Security Adviser, Major General Patrick Aziza.

While Colonel Sambo Dasuki [retd], was announced as Aziza’s replacement as NSA, the Presidency was kept the public guessing on the likely successor of Bello.

Saturday Tribune that though the president was reportedly not in  haste to make the final choice, some interest groups were said to be lobbying that a particular political zone  produced the next defence minister.

The source claimed that because of the sensitive nature of the defence sector, the president reportedly, favoured a military technocrat heading the ministry, instead of a politician again.

Towards this end, the names of the two retired senior military officers from the South-South  were being touted by some  high level quarters and influential groups in the polity.

Ogomudia is a former Chief of Defence Staff, a similar post once occupied by Dike, who was also the first Air Force officer to attain the rank of an Air Chief Marshal.
It was learnt that the chances of the position of defence minister going to the Northern part of the country were remote because of what the source described as the need for balancing in the distribution of power at the centre.

According to the source, the appointment of Dasuki, the former Aide De Camp [ADC] to former military President,  General Ibrahim Babangida may have disqualified it [the North] from retaining the ministerial portfolio.

The source claimed that, at the initial stage, the name of a former NSA, Gen. Aliyu Gusau featured prominently following Aziza’s sudden removal, but that it became clear that it would be politically unwise to favour a section of the country with key appointments into the top echelon of the nation’s security network.

The Acting Inspector General of Police, M.D. Abubakar is also from the North.

Meanwhile, the military was equally said to prefer one of its retired senior officers to man the ministry.

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written by Emmanuel Obi, June 30, 2012

Why do you guys like repeating the mistakes of others ?General Patrick Aziza has never served as NSA.The former NSA is General Andrew Azazi.

Quit lazy journalism and crosscheck your facts.

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