By Our Correspondent
The chief of army staff, Tukur Buratai has been nominated for an award by the Global Excellence Foundation for his professionalism as a public servant in Nigeria.
In a statement by the foundation, Buratai was nominated for the foundation’s Vision Africa Global Award as the ‘Man of the year’.
The foundation said, the chief of army staff has shown and maintained a high degree of accountability, probity and transparency in discharging his duties.
It further said it arrived at choosing Buratai for the award after further investigation which showed a track record of his activities and recent media attacks aimed at “tarnishing his image”.
Recently, Buratai came under fire after the Nigerian army confirmed reports that he acquired two property in Dubai from a joint saving with his two wives.
But the country director of the continental award, Yemi Ola who was also a former House a Representative member during the third republic said, aside President Muhammadu Buhari – who s the most investigated public officer in the world – a recent poll by his organisation rated Buratai as the most investigated officer in the past one year.
Ola also said that the chief of army staff has remained spotless in all investigations, a rare feat on the president has attained.
“What we found was that most of the attacks were coordinated by top military colleagues who felt slighted by his rising profile in decimating the once dreaded Boko Haram, arms fraud cabal, politicians with vested interest in the war against insurgency and another category made up of ethnic jingoists.
“These category of people believe that the war against growing rise of ethnic militias is targeted at their ethnic groups and therefore interested the hard stance of the COAS on these issues an assault on their shared interests.
“These persons have equally failed to understand that the war in the first place was targeted at the unity of the Nigerian state and it is only the current position of the military not to give in to blackmail that has stopped about 300 ethnic militants who had earlier received sophisticated training to destabilize the current administration of President Muhammadu,” the foundation said.
The foundation also said it believes the award will strengthen Buratai’s confidence to achieve more for Nigeria.
“Recognizing General Buratai in our belief would equally reassure many Nigerians especially upcoming youths that it is still possible to be upright in a country where people under 50 years of age have only known corruption and self interest as the deciding factor for persons that otherwise hold positions of trust.
“We want to send a clear message that it is possible to stand tall even when one’s steadfastness to God and country is being maligned by those who would rather act otherwise,” the statement said.
