Immediate past chief of army staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd) says he was appointed to the position in 2015 because of the loyalty of his father Yusuf Buratai to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buratai’s father was a non-commissioned officer in the Royal West African Frontier Force and a World War II veteran who fought in Burma.
Buratai made the statement during a gala night organised by the 29th Regular Course Association in Abuja on Sunday in his honour to celebrate him as the longest-serving COAS and his successful retirement.
He said, “My father was an ardent lover of the president and my appointment as COAS, therefore, was a price or reward for that gesture by the president.
“Of course, and as you have been told severally, we (the president and I) met in Njemena and he saw me and felt I was the right person to be COAS at that very crucial and critical moment of our history.
“And I am happy that we have discharged our responsibilities diligently, professionally and loyally, and I will continue to discharge my responsibilities to him and of course to our country and our people.”
Buhari accepted the resignation of Buratai and other service chiefs on January 26, 2021.
Thereafter, the president appointed Major-General Leo Irabor (chief of defence staff); Major-General Ibrahim Attahiru (chief of army staff); Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo (chief of naval staff); and Air-Vice Marshal I.O Amao (chief of air taff) as replacements.
