Service Chiefs Lived In Affluence But Lamented Lack Of Funds To Protect Nigerians — Cleric

The Archbishop of Abuja, Africa Metropolitan Church, Archbishop Peter Ogunmuyiwa, has said that insecurity has persist in Nigeria because past Service Chiefs lived in affluence while security agencies under them complained of lack of funds to protect citizens.

He, therefore, said salaries and emoluments of military personnel should be paid as at when due if Nigeria is to be well-secured.

“You complain that there is no money to protect the country while past Service Chiefs, IGPs lived in affluence, they built mansions. Where did you get that money? I believe it is out of the money that was allocated to buy equipment and take care of subordinates,” the cleric said.

Archbishop Ogunmuyiwa in his message titled, “Hope of a New Dawn” at the Special Inter-denominational Church Service at the National Christian Center, Abuja, in commemoration of the annual Armed Forces Remembrance Day 2024, said while checkpoints have become obsolete means of containing criminalities, the military and other security services have turned them into toll gates.

“My advice, especially to the Police and the military men, the current roadblocks and checkpoints which have now become toll gates, is obsolete. One thing that baffles me is this – as a man of God, we say we want to get new results and we keep doing this. Some of us have travelled across the world, and we have seen how roads are.”

He advocated for improved training and retraining for the military and other security agencies in the country.

“We must make sure that their training is seasoned, it must not be shortlived,” he added.

The clergy said the level of insecurity in the country was worrisome, adding that the North-Central has become a hotbed of insecurity in the country.

He said corruption in the country was endemic and becoming a norm, adding that for corruption to be curtailed, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) must beam its searchlight on every citizen, devoid of ethnic and religious colorations.

Ogunmuyiwa, however, commended the troops of the Nigerian military at the frontlines for their sacrifices and for putting themselves in harm’s way for the peace of the country.