Chief Oluseyi Olusegun Petinrin

By Senator Iroegbu

The immediate past Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Chief Oluseyi Olusegun Petinrin has advised members of the Nigerian Armed Forces to solely focus on their professional duties of defending the territorial integrity of the country and leave political governance to politicians.

Petinrin made this  call yesterday at the pulling out parade in Mogadishu Military Cantonment (Abacha Barracks), Abuja to mark his retirement from the Nigerian Armed Forces after more than 35 years of meritorious service.

He cautioned current crop of the military against coup since they cannot offer lasting political solution, and quoted Gen. Douglas MacArthur's speech while addressing cadets of the United States Military Academy on May 12, 1962 to drive home his points.

The former CDS told his former colleagues that there was no better alternative to democracy and reminded them how the military suffered untold neglect under the military dictatorship.

He said: “Great national problems are not for your professional participation or military solution.

“Let civilian voices argue the merits or demerits of our processes of government: Whether our strength is being sapped by deficit financing indulged in too long, by Federal paternalism grown too mighty, by power groups grown too arrogant, by politics grown too corrupt, by crime grown too rampant, by morals grown too violent; whether our personal liberties are as thorough and complete as they should be".