Noting that some of the service chiefs were already overdue for retirement, the YCE urged the President to reflect the federal character to balance ethnic composition in the reappointments.
According to them, the recurrent massacre in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states have lent credence to the accusation by a former Minister of Defence, Theophilus Danjuma, that the military was colluding with killer herdsmen to embark on ethnic cleansing.
The YCE stated this in a communique issued after their Expanded National Executive meeting held in Ado Ekiti on Thursday in honour of its late President, Chief Idowu Sofola (SAN), who died last Friday.
The communique was signed by the YCE Secretary-General, Dr. Kunle Olajide and the chairman of the Ekiti Council of Elders, Prof. J. O. Oluwasanmi.
It partly read, “The Yoruba Council of Elders calls on Mr. President to relieve the present security chiefs, some of whom are already overdue for retirement of their position and immediately reconfigure the security architecture of the country to reflect the federal character clause in our constitution.
“Most Nigerians have lost confidence in the security chiefs especially the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, whom the President has publicly acknowledged as disobeying his instructions.
“The President must shed and toga of Baba go-slow and act promptly on this matter to once again inspire the confidence of Nigerians in his administration.
“A military which publicly claimed to be neutral where the law of the land is being violated and innocent citizens are mindlessly murdered by armed herdsmen is definitely partisan and can no longer be trusted to protect all Nigerians.”
The YCE, however, commended the Federal Government on the successful negotiation of the safe return of the Dapchi girls and urged government to intensify efforts for the safe return of the remaining pupils and Chibok girls who had been abducted since 2014.
The meeting called on Buhari to declare the rampaging herdsmen as terrorists with immediate effect.
It also advised the President to suspend granting of amnesty to repentant Boko Haram members because it was unfavourable to do so now.
The elders noted that the report of the Governor Nasir El-Rufai-led All Progressives Congress Committee on Restructuring was a step in the right direction.
They also called on the President to forward all the bills which the governor claimed had been drafted to the National Assembly without any further delay.
The YCE also appealed to the Federal Government not to dismiss the comments of the American founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, on the country’s state of economy.
“Any government that spends over 70 per cent of its annual resources on recurrent expenditure cannot develop its people and the country.
“The government must substantially increase resource allocation to health and education sectors.”
It added, “The obscene salary and allowances of the executive and legislative in a developing country must be reviewed downwards.”
