The legislator representing Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency of Sokoto State, Abdussamad Dasuki, has encouraged President Bola Tinubu to include experienced retired military commanders in the next batch of ambassadorial nominees.
Speaking via a statement, Dasuki said that Nigeria has sufficient military personnel that have completed rigorous strategic and tactical training, engaged in high-level operations, and accumulated priceless battlefield experience during their careers.
He maintained that retired officers would be beneficial as ambassadors, especially in countries the nation would be interacting with for military assistance and the acquisition of weapons and equipment necessary for the continuous battle against terrorism, insurgency, and banditry.
“Our retired senior military personnel have served this nation with distinction. They are in a unique position to further our country’s interests overseas because of their direct knowledge of contemporary fighting, counterterrorism tactics, and defense procurement.
According to him, “deploying them as envoys to strategic countries will strengthen negotiations for essential military hardware and ensure that the government receives informed, experience-based strategic advice at a time when the military needs modern reconnaissance drones and armed UAVs to combat all forms of armed conflicts that have become existential threats to the country.”
While noting that the nomination of ambassadors is strictly the constitutional prerogative of the President, Rep Dasuki highlighted that the current conditions need a more security-focused approach to foreign representation, particularly in critical nations.
“Insecurity has remained the most pressing challenge confronting our nation for over two decades. In recent times, the situation has worsened, with intolerable levels of homicides, kidnappings, and violent attacks across many sections of the country. These extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary strategic alignment, especially in our foreign policy orientation and the calibre of persons deployed to advance it,” he stated.
Dasuki further emphasized that a nation’s strategic needs must be reflected in its foreign policy, notably in the selection of envoys to nations where military and security cooperation is a priority.
