Former Senate Leader Ali Ndume has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to disregard calls for the dismissal of the service chiefs, stressing that only a deliberate “TEAM approach” (Training, Equipment, Ammunition, and Motivation) will give the Armed Forces the edge to defeat insurgents, terrorists, and bandits.

Ndume, who is also a former chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, said in Abuja on Thursday that agitation for the dismissal of the military leadership was ill-motivated and capable of undermining the morale of troops on the frontline.

His comments followed a statement by the Northern Ethnic National Forum, which had accused the service chiefs of lacking capacity. They demanded their immediate replacement with “fresh and innovative military leaders with a clear mandate and timeline for results.”

But Ndume insisted that the security chiefs appointed by Tinubu were experienced theatre commanders who only needed improved funding, modern equipment and better welfare packages to deliver.

“The salary of a private soldier is about ₦100,000 per month, while their daily allowance is ₦5,000—this is unconscionable and demoralising,” he said.

“People should desist from pronouncements that could dampen the morale of our soldiers and officers in the field of operation,” he said

Reiterating his TEAM model, Ndume noted, “Those pushing for the sack of the service chiefs do not mean well for the administration or Nigerians. What is needed is proper investment in Training, Equipment, Ammunition and Motivation.”

He also commended the President for what he described as an ethno-religious balance in the composition of the security architecture, contrasting it with the situation in the recent past.