Former Chief of Defence Staff General Lucky Irabor has condemned the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s treatment of Lieutenant A.M. Yerima, arguing that the uniform demands respect regardless of the individual wearing it.
Speaking during a media coverage by AIT from 2:58, General Irabor emphasized that military personnel derive their authority from their uniform rather than personal characteristics. “The officer in question if you see him wearing mufti tomorrow, you will not see him. So what distinguishes the police, the military and other agencies is the uniform and so we should respect and honor the uniform,” he stated.
The former defence chief called on Nigerians to instill respect for uniformed personnel in future generations, even when officers may not be performing their duties perfectly. “And that’s what we should tell our children and every Nigerian that when you see the security officers and even they are not doing what is right, it is not your duty to now lay your hands on them. Otherwise we will be in a jungle,” Irabor explained.
General Irabor characterized Wike’s public confrontation with the lieutenant as an attack on state institutions that could encourage similar disrespect from other civilians toward military personnel. He warned that the minister’s actions, regardless of their intentions, risk being misinterpreted and creating dangerous precedents for civilian-military relations. View, More,
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