Tinubu gave sacked military chiefs mouthwatering benefits to avert overthrow of his govt - Sowore

Human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has stated that the reason behind the Nigerian government’s approval of mouthwatering benefits for the recently sacked service chiefs was to avert an overthrow of President Bola Tinubu’s government.

SaharaReporters had last week reported that Tinubu approved the immediate removal of all the previous Service Chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police, Advisers, and the Comptroller-General of Customs from service and appointed their replacements with immediate effect in June.

The PUNCH had also on Saturday reported that the Chief of Defence Staff and the service chiefs got bulletproof Sport Utility Vehicles, personal aides, guards and other perks of office, including generous allowance for medical treatment abroad, as retirement benefits.

The benefitting senior military officers are the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amao.

Reacting to this in a Tweet on Saturday, Sowore described this development as a hint to believe claims that there were plots by the military authorities to topple the Tinubu government especially when he was to leave Nigeria for France about two weeks ago.

Sowore said, “These mouth-watering retirement offers to these suddenly retired Nigerian military top brass sounds like they held Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu @ABATMediaCentre to ransom because they knew something the public didn’t know about his “Presidency.” And selection.

“I think the rumour of their (military) plan to take out @officialABAT before his return from France might be true after all. So far, the interests of ordinary Nigerians have been sacrificed to get Tinubu’s power consolidated.”

Sowore also tackled the president for removal of the fuel subsidy to please global economic stakeholders while creating more hardship to Nigerians.

He continued: “To the World Bank/IMF, he removed fuel subsidy and commenced defunding public education, to make “foreign investors” and currency speculators happy, he floated the naira, to please his political friends he raided the offices of the @officialEFCC and carted away sensitive criminal investigations materials related to and of PEPs, and to keep the military boys happy, he gave them mouthwatering never-heard-before retirement benefits. #Revolutionnow.”