Major Mustapha Jokolo (retd.), a former Aide-De-Camp to President Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has spoken on the feud between the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno; and Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.
Monguno had complained that Kari is stepping beyond his boundary by holding meeting with service chiefs.
Jokolo, who was the ADC to Buhari when he was the military Head of State between 1983 and 1985, said the power the President gave to Kari was too much.
He said in an interview with Radio France International:
“Truly, General Munguno had complained but he did not refer his complaints to the right persons. He should have written directly to Buhari on how he felt about his Chief of Staff.
“This is because Buhari tends to recognise his Chief of Staff as his ‘Deputy President’.
“Buhari had said everything should be done through the Chief of Staff. This implies that Buhari has given him limitless power and he can do anything but this is a misnomer.”
He, however, condemned the principal officers for the crisis based on the sensitive nature of the offices the officers in question hold, adding that such development couldn’t occur in a military era because it would amount to “overlapping” of office or job schedules.
According to him, the service chiefs ought to have been fired by now due to the negative twist in the insurgency war.
Jokolo urged the President, the NSA and the service chiefs to hearken to the voice of Nigerians, adding that Nigeria was bigger than any individual.
He alleged that the seeming crisis among the presidential officials was “purely out of greed and selfishness”.
Jokolo said that Nigerians were unhappy because of the retention of the service chiefs, who were supposed to have been removed and replaced by other officers in the armed forces.
The retired major said, “The misunderstanding between them was borne out of greed, selfishness. If not so, the two officers involved are brothers; they are all Muslims and from the same tribe.
“President Buhari had brought them to assist him in different roles. Why then should there be any conflict of roles?
“But whenever any amongst them encroaches into the other’s territory, there will be a problem.
