The Global Excellence Foundation (GEF) has nominated the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General TY Buratai for the Vision Africa Global Award as the “Man of the Year”, saying he is a public servant who has maintained a high degree of accountability, probity and transparency in the discharge of his duties.
The foundation in an electronic statement issued in Abuja yesterday said it arrived at the choice of General Buratai for the award after a thorough investigation that reviewed his track records and recent media attacks which were found to have been targeted at tarnishing his name.
Country Director of the continental award, Professor Yemi Ola who was a member of the House of Representatives in the second republic hinted that “apart from President Muhammadu Buhari who is the most investigated public officer in the world, a recent poll conducted by this NGO rated General Tukur Yusufu Buratai as the most investigated public officer in the last one year and in all these he was found to be spotless, a rare feat that only President Muhammadu Buhari has attained in the recent past.
“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 noted.
It expressed the hope that the award will bolster General Buratai’s confidence to do more for the country by assuring that not all Nigerians are unappreciative of the great service he is rendering to the nation.
According to the statement, “Recognising 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.
