UNITED NATIONS, September 12 -- In the middle of the meeting last week between Nigeria's Defense Ministry officials and the head of the UN Department of Field Support Susana Malcorra, President Goodluck Jonathan fired Chief of Army Staff Abdulrahman Dambazzau.
The news of the firing reached the meeting room in the DC-1 building directly across from the UN's compound on First Avenue. Defense Minister Adetokunbo Kayode continued speaking with Malcorra, largely about the Nigeria soldiers serving in UN Peacekeeping missions in Darfur and elsewhere.
After the Malcorra meeting, Dambazzau was to have accompanied Minister Kayode to another set of meetings in the main UN Peacekeeping offices in the UN's temporary swing space building on Madison Avenue. But he did not -- he no longer had or has a position with the Nigerian military.
Some speculate that the firing is related to the televised and bloody military showdown with the Boko Haram group. The Nigerian government counters that the firings are merely a shakeup in the countdown to the country's elections, in which Jonathan will run.
But to show sudden military firings during the middle of a high level meeting with UN Peacekeeeping in New York was unique, to say the least. Watch this site.
Footnote: it is still unclear if Nigeria's Mission to the UN has complained to Equatorial Guinea about the execution of its nationals. Also unclear: what Nigeria's former UN Peacekeeping Military Advisor Obiakor will be doing for the UN for the next months -- it was confirmed to Inner City Press that he will be staying in New York and on the payroll. Writing a report?
