Wike Deserves National Apology Over Naval Officer Incident — PANDEF Chair

Wike Deserves National Apology Over Naval Officer Incident — PANDEF Chair

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

The National Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Ambassador Godknows Boladei Igali, has called for a national apology to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, over his public confrontation with a junior naval officer in Abuja, describing the incident as a “gross affront to constituted authority.”

Speaking with journalists at the Port Harcourt International Airport on his way to Lagos, Igali expressed concern over what he termed the “social media glamourisation” of the conduct of the officer, identified as Lieutenant A.M. Yerima, said to have been acting on the orders of a retired service chief.

He condemned the incident as an act of indiscipline and disrespect not only to the FCT Minister but also to the office of the President, whom Wike represents in matters relating to the Federal Capital Territory.

“Chief Wike, CON, without doubt, one of the best performing ministers in this administration, deserves to be treated with much more respect and decorum,” the former diplomat and federal permanent secretary said.

Igali maintained that the behaviour of the officer was “an open show of disdain for the office of the President,” adding that such conduct, if left unchecked, could erode the sanctity of civil authority in a democracy.

He called on the leadership of the Nigerian Navy to tender an unreserved apology to the FCT Minister on behalf of the service and its former chief under whose influence the incident allegedly occurred.

“The Minister of the FCT deserves an unconditional apology from the Nigerian Navy on behalf of its former head and the helpless young officer involved in the horrible spectacle,” Igali stated.

The PANDEF chairman further decried the use of junior military personnel for non-military assignments such as guarding unoccupied private properties, describing it as “a dangerous deviation from the Navy’s constitutional role of safeguarding the nation’s territorial integrity.”

Igali also urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order a full investigation into the incident to preserve discipline within the armed forces and ensure respect for civil authority.

“The President should direct the relevant security and law enforcement agencies to investigate the matter and bring those involved to book. This will preserve professionalism in the military and strengthen the foundation of our democracy,” he added.

He stressed that Chief Wike must be fully protected from acts of overzealousness as he continues to discharge his duties with commitment and zeal, warning that tolerance of such behaviour could send a wrong signal about civil-military relations in the country.