LAGOS JULY 10TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Aide de Camp (ADC) to late President Umaru Yar’Adua Brigadier-General Mustapha Onoyiveta was Monday relieved of his appointment as Chief of Staff to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Kenneth Minimah.
Onoyiveta’s removal, military sources told Pointblanknews.com followed months of investigations into how he allegedly mismanaged billions of Naira meant for soldiers’ operations particularly in the troubled North east.
Military sources told Pointblanknews.com that Onoyiveta has been moved to the Department of Civil- Military Affairs (DCMA), a redeployment described as being ‘a heartbeat away from retirement”.
Some officers described have fouled the new posting as a slap on the wrist for an officer whose actions, they claimed, led to several operational lapses causing the death of several officers and men.
As Chief of Staff to the Army Chief, Onoyiveta reportedly wielded tremendous influence, helping to shape several army operational decisions, in addition to determining which army commander saw his boss.
He had reportedly driven a wedge between the two army chiefs he served and top army commanders by frustrating them each time they sought to see their chiefs.
Several General Officers Commanding (GOCs) had reportedly formed the habit of staying away from Generals Ihejirika and Minimah to save themselves the ordeal of shabby treatment in the hands of Onoyiveta, who is a rank beneath GOCs.
“This greatly dampened the morale of officers and men. The huge losses suffered in recent times in the hands of Boko Haram terrorists is a direct fallout of this disconnect between (army) Chief and the officers under his command,” offered a top army officer.
Pointblanknews.com