The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has assured the Nigerian populace that it has no intention to carry out a coup.
The defence headquarters gave the assurance against the backdrop of the statement on Wednesday by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, that a coup was possible.
“The problem in Nigeria is that our democracy is receding. Who says army cannot take over, let us not joke with our democracy that is the issue,” Ekweremadu said at plenary when speaking on the alleged attacks on some of his colleagues.
But in a statement issued by its spokesman, John Agim, on Thursday, the defence headquarters said the public should disregard Ekweremadu’s apprehension.
Agim said the military had become professionalized and had no intention to take over government.
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His words: “In the light of this; the defence headquarters wish to state clearly that, the Nigerian military has come of age and is in tune with best international military practices of complete and total subordination to democratic governance.
“Shortly, after the transition from a military to a democratically elected government in 1999, officers of the armed forces of Nigeria, who were quasi-political, were honourably eased out of service. This was done to avoid indoctrination of other officers in the military in order to enable the democratic government commence a re-professionalisation process of the armed forces.
“The process commenced in collaboration with international organisations such as the United States armed forces and the British military. By 2009, from the basic military training institutions through units and formation reorientation programmes to top management workshops and seminars for the military, it became clear that the armed forces of Nigeria have been re-professionalised to be totally subordinate to political leadership and democracy in the country.”