ARMY ARRANGEMENT: Another Scandal In View.

ARMY ARRANGEMENT: Another Scandal In View

A few people have contested the stance of the All Progressives congress against the deployment of soldiers for the coming election.  Some have described such resistance as myopic and unreasonable because of the ongoing insurgency and the recent threat by the boko haram poster boy to disrupt the elections.  I couldn't help but wonder why Shekau did not have his usual back up cast of veiled machine gunners and 4 wheel drives in the background. 

The fear of violence and possible civil unrest appears to have captivated the minds of many who ought to be ideally very reasonable and critical of any spanner tossed at their wheels by the chief strategists in this plot. What does the constitution of the federal Republic say about the role of the armed forces regarding elections and civil matters? They never bother to check. 

Some folks have asked why the soldiers should not be drafted for elections considering the dearth of policemen across the nation. They readily point to the relative peaceful nature of the two gubernatorial elections held last year without considering the actual number of troops deployed to both states.  This year's elections goes beyond 2 states and one wonders if we have enough boots on the ground to cover every blade of grass across the country just to guarantee security. 

The recently released audio recording of the meeting that occurred prior to the Ekiti election allegedly between politicians of the ruling party and the commanding officer of the troops deployed to Ekiti should sufficiently inform Nigerians that the military have no place in overseeing the conduct of elections in the country.  Although the authenticity of the recording is disputed; I am convinced that the narrative of the meeting is real and would have required great ingenuity to create. 

Why do some people really want the army for these elections?  The news of armed soldiers patrolling the streets in anticipation of Atahiru Jega's election postponement announcement clearly betrays the intentions of those who unleash them. What can the army do that the police cannot replicate? Legend has it that the soldiers are fearless and obey the last command.  They are rumored to be incorruptible but that may not be the case for Nigerian soldiers who have since inception been exposed to the radiation of politics and excess crude. Nigerians obviously are more scared of soldiers than policemen. We know that it is easier to appease a policeman with a 50 naira bribe or a bottle of drink than pacify a soldier with any amount of money. But what if the soldiers' services are already paid for before the day of their assignment? 

The Wikipedia page of the Nigerian armed forces has the number of active personnel as 130,000 with the army responsible for the largest chunk of that pool. This figure if accurate means than the external security of  Nigeria depends heavily on less than 0.1% of the nation's population. How then do we expect the army to be also responsible for internal security all by themselves because the police is corrupt and inefficient? 

Why are the police corrupt and largely viewed as incapable of ensuring effective security during the 2 days of elections in March and April? If the police are seen to be ill equipped,  should drafting the department of state security,  NSCDC, FRSC and even the Man O' war not be enough to provide a coordinated sufficient security cover for just 2 days? Why must it be the army to join the electoral process considering the ongoing military activity in the northeast which threatens the integrity of the nation?  Why is the navy not the first in line to provide added security especially in zones far away from the ongoing conflict?

The navy are more or less redundant at the moment since they are  without the resources to launch missiles from under the water off the coast of the southern states or lake Chad to hit targets in Sambisa or enclaves harboring the insurgents. Mr Jonathan has since acquired 4 toys for them to perhaps keep them occupied.  These ships are largely refurbished decommissioned vessels from other nations; this should grieve the hearts of inhabitants of a nation previously colonised by a nation rich in shipyard capabilities and maritime history. What exactly did we learn from the British in terms of industry and technological advancement?  I presume we only inherited the monarchy mentality;  the master and servant syndrome which has ravaged the psyche of our people and which encourages impunity to thrive. 

A former minister of police affairs said in May 2012 that the police had a capacity of 380,000 officers at the time.  He announced plans to expand that figure by 270,000 to make it a total of 650,000; I do not know if they achieved that ambition. Do the armed forces in Nigeria have 300,000 commissioned and non-commissioned officers?  Do we have reserves that could make that figure go up even higher? Let us assume that the police population is set at 400,000; why are we so obsessed that the police need the army for the elections with the number of soldiers felled by insurgent bullets and those facing the death penalty for mutiny and other offences?  How many planes and military aircrafts do we have?  Do we have any kind of submarine or heavy duty aircraft carriers requiring  massive naval and airforce recruitments? 

The police can handle the election by themselves once the officers guarding Tafa Balogun and other past inspector generals are redeployed.  Once the police officers standing behind government officials and politicians including those driving their children to school and carrying the handbags of the dignified women are pulled back to do their primary duties;  then the true number of officers would become apparent.  The police have been rendered incapacitated for decades now via a deliberate and calculated mechanism to cripple law enforcement and justice. Those who enlist are left disillusioned without any clearcut vision of what their primary duties are.  Those who get to the top are those willing to play ball with the politicians.  They become incredibly wealthy,  arrogant and partisan.  I watched one light skinned and heavily built police inspector the other day on the television addressing politicians in his zone to be law abiding during the elections and the fellow in his camouflage was carrying a swagger stick. What really is the use of a swagger stick to a police man? The utterances of the indomitable  AIG Mbu since assuming control over Lagos and Ogun would have led to his sack in a sane environment however we don't reside in one.

Those planning to have soldiers at polling units and roads on election day especially in states with low security threat levels only need them to aid election manipulation.  They control all the security outfits in the land and are able to deploy them at will and as them deem fit.  The police have proven to dance to the "shoki" of the ruling party exhibited by the tear gas launched at the "rogue" speaker Tambuwal amongst other signs.  It is more than enough having to deal with this force but having to confront the likes of brigadier Momoh is an even greater kettle of fish with plenty bones which can choke. The president of the federal Republic publicly dismissed the audio recording as fabricated without launching any investigation;  those who still hold brief for such a man are either irreversibly gullible or desperately evil. 

I believe the moment of change is here,  those who believe in God must know that we have another shot as a nation to get it right.  The police will not be left behind in the change,  at least the opposition's candidate knows how it was when the special branch of the Nigerian police functioned back in the days. 

Make army wey no dey Sambissa and environs stay for barracks.


Joa~200215