Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, representing Abia North, has called on the senate to urgently review the Armed Forces Act to stop what he described as the “wastage of trained military personnel” resulting from the appointment of service chiefs from junior military courses.
Speaking during Thursday’s plenary on a bill seeking to repeal and re-enact the Armed Forces Act, Kalu said the current system forces many senior officers into premature retirement whenever service chiefs are appointed from lower courses. He noted that this practice results in the loss of seasoned manpower and waste of public funds invested in their training.
He cited an example involving the current Chief of Army Staff from Course 41, saying officers from Courses 39 and 40 were compelled to retire as a result.
“We spend heavily to train these officers, and retiring them prematurely is wasteful,” Kalu said. He urged that future appointments of service chiefs must respect the course hierarchy within the military to ensure fairness, continuity, and professionalism.
According to him, Nigeria has witnessed cases where a single appointment led to the exit of over 200 generals who still had several years of service left.
He emphasized that respecting the established course structure of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) would strengthen unity within the armed forces.
However, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin cautioned lawmakers against proposals that may infringe on the president’s constitutional powers as the commander-in-chief. He stressed the need for balance between the president’s authority and military traditions. Barau also advised that the armed forces be fully consulted during the amendment process to ensure alignment with operational realities.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua of Katsina Central, passed second reading.
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