UPHOLDING HER HONOR AND GLORY

The Chief of Army staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai announced a strategic recruitment plan to increase the capacity of the Nigerian Army two days ago while delivering a lecture at the National Defence College Abuja. He also announced plans to establish two new divisions of the army in the Northeast and South-South regions. The current personnel figures of the army according to Buratai stands at approximately 100,000 which is inclusive of about 6,000 officers and the target for 2024 is to hike that figure to just over 200,000 which implies that a minimum of 12,000 men and women will be absorbed by the army every year for the next eight years. It is expected that the Airforce and Navy would likewise recruit but definitely not to the extent set by the Army.

January 15, 1966 was the day the Nigerian army encroached significantly into the administration of the nation called Nigeria. An infantile army that was ‘forcefully’ weaned off British command via political gymnastics formed the bulk of the nation’s military with only a few naval officers. The blood of ‘common’ Nigerians had been shed prior to that day but a few young middle ranking officers decided that the time had come for a few elite Nigerians to pay the ultimate price. Hundreds of thousands and arguably millions of Nigerian lives have been lost since then and the corruption which the first republic was accused of has since metastasized to ravage just about every part of the country. The political space is corrupt; religious leaders and the judiciary are sold out; proper education is on life support and law enforcers and security agencies are not spared of the rot as well. Opportunists have systematically hijacked the resources of this nation for personal gain and abused the senses of the people in the process. Private jets are used to ship what ought to be within the Central Bank and one strives to outdo the other with respect to what they can consume from the nation’s oil wells.

A lot of things are fundamentally wrong with the country and with her people; we have learnt how to cope under the most inhumane conditions which pets in other climes do not even have to endure. A gang of armed robbers were apprehended in Lagos a few days ago and savagely beaten by locals and passersby. The images from that scene are so gross with the men bleeding profusely from scalp lacerations and facial orifices. One had an obvious deformity of his right forearm and there have been reports that those men have died in police custody as a result of their wounds. Those men were said to have robbed certain individuals of money and shot one or two people before they were chased and caught. Many have commended the jungle justice on social media because in their opinion; any thief deserves the same measure of terror he or she wrecks on innocent people. The tragedy of all this is that majority of these cyberspace judges readily come to the defence of those individuals who have continually plundered the resources of this nation as long as the thieves appeal to their default and/ or acquired sentiments.

The ongoing revelations from “Dasuki-gate” (the Arms money scandal) ought to rile every Nigerian but that is not the case most probably because the allegiance of many is elsewhere and not to the union. The incumbent president seems poised to expose and debride this necrosis but his actions are daily mocked by those who defend anyone who partook in the chaos of the last administration. The events of January 1966 dropped Nigeria from a height and she definitely sustained bone breaks from the fall; like a bullet ricocheting, death patrolled through the land severing whatever ties had held the various tribes and tongues together prior to independence. The civil war officially ended on this date forty-six years ago but it has unofficially raged on ever since and the hate from that time has been transmitted like a recessive trait to those who did not even see the war. The army unfortunately retained the ‘coup’ mutation from 1966 and dynasties were overthrown and enthroned up till 1999 when a calm looking General Abdusalami Abubakar pressed the reset button albeit for one of their kind to maintain status quo.

The civil war ensured an increase in the military’s capacity but downsizing commenced thereafter and occurred at various times probably to weaken the ability of ambitious officers to mount coups against both military and civilian governments. Nigeria had few internal conflicts to deal with since the end of the war but most of her resources were ploughed into assisting other nations especially the West African nations involved in protracted civil wars. Military rule did far more harm than good to the psyche of Nigerians; corruption spread and anomalies became normal. Basic education crumbled and the products from whatever we called schools were mostly cowered or candidates to reinforce insanity and propagate it across the land. The political class upon the return of democratic rule further parted the divide between the elite and other Nigerians instead of bridging it. The struggle to bridge that economic divide further plunged Nigeria down the abyss as many did whatever it took to make their lives count. Money laundering, illicit drug trade, illegal arms trade, sponsorship of terrorism and false religious movements are just some of the vices many Nigerians have indulged in. Many ‘new-money’ millionaires and billionaires have been created from the sweat and blood of Nigerians since 1999. Anything is permissible in the land as long as it puts food on the table and bursts bank accounts.

“Al majiri schools should be good enough for them,” “what exactly do they contribute to in this country?” These are some of the thoughts which get expressed in our nation on a regular basis. We call ourselves touts, criminals, prostitutes and all sorts of unprintable and derogatory tags depending of which sentimental spectacles we have on. To some individuals, the crisis in the Northeast and the internally displaced people across the land is just reward for their past sins and a few others exploit the situation to agitate for all sorts of selfish desires. From Lt. Gen Buratai’s submission, it is clear that only about 100,000 men and women are responsible for defending over 170million Nigerians and a land mass of 923,768km² (I do not think the figures of both the Airforce and Navy would exceed 50,000). It should be noted that a significant proportion of these numbered uniformed men and women are not exactly involved in combat duties due to the specialization inherent in the military. It will be interesting to know the exact number of personnel in the infantry, armored and artillery corps of the army. This will perhaps help us as Nigerians to understand and appreciate the commitment and sacrifices of our fellow countrymen. The sheer number of commissioned officers lost to the war on terror and due to relatively poor facilities should greatly concern us. It should explain to us just how exposed these individuals who have undergone expensive specialist training across the globe are and the carnage that could have happened prior to the time they got slain by friendly or hostile fire.

Nigerians may not be able to comprehend the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform during the civil war or in the forests of Monrovia and Freetown. We may not see any reason why we should understand what the military stands for when we remember the frog jumps and slaps us or those we know have had to endure from their members. We may not like them but one thing we can do is check out the social media profiles or reports of those who have been lost over the past one, two or three years. We will most likely realize how much similar we who are yet alive are to them. They and those still fighting on our behalf are our brothers, sisters, cousins, friends and in-laws. I read some reports on the Dornier-228 aircraft of the Nigerian Airforce which crashed in Kaduna on the 29^th of August 2015 shortly after taking off killing all seven individuals on board. I visited the Facebook profiles of the two pilots just to have better knowledge of who they were. Squadron Leader Adekunle Suara left behind a very young wife and Flying Officer Kehinde Olaniran had a twin brother. We should always remember these people who swore to defend the unity of Nigeria but we should ask how and why they died so that others would not have to suffer avoidable deaths as the case may be.

There have been reports of defective gear, obsolete equipment and weaponry, failed and fatal upgrades of aircrafts and acquisition of refurbished ships for the Navy while a former Niger-Delta warlord purchased gunboats and patrol ships for the country. Our soldiers had bullets piercing their helmets and evading their defective body amour while those who ought to have ensured the best was acquired were busy building mansions all over Abuja and distributing palpable foreign currency (which is now scarce commodity) to expired old men across the land to ensure that a failed president was returned unanimously. Our men have endured back to back tours in the conflict zone without break and sent many times on suicide missions while some of their superiors were getting trampled upon by former ministers and used to hide certificates and rig elections. Some tactically maneuvered across the border to escape being slain by insurgents while others mutinied and got sentenced to death by the same establishment that sold them out. Sadly the rule of law protects those who have directly plundered the money meant for arms; they will be further protected by the same people who threw bricks at and broke the bones of armed robbers in Lagos just a few days ago. Many like them will turn out in matching Ankara to protest the highhandedness of the justice system and be in the pews for thanksgiving if the accused and implicated ever get cleared of their alleged crimes. By the way, they are not the only ones who took anything from the treasury. President Buhari they will say got two vehicles and nobody’s hand is clean in any case. They will also ask which of us would not do likewise if we ever got to power; I am not sure they asked those armed robbers any question or understood the reasons of their actions before their skulls got bashed.

We do not have military reserves in Nigeria and our response to the rise of insurgency was clearly grossly inadequate. We were not prepared for what happened and we did not recognize the strengths and limitations of the countries bordering us. Chad is 1.284million km² and may not exactly have a military larger than 50,000 individuals. It is one thing to have the manpower but it is a different ball game to have the requisite tools to function to optimal capacity. It may appear that the militaries of many African nations suffered adversely from the effects of tyranny and extensive military rule hence the small proportion of committed individuals responsible for defending the states. Niger Republic is also larger in size than Nigeria with a landmass of 1.267million km² but with a far less military strength than Chad. Benin Republic and Cameroon are not any different from our other neighbors; the governments of these nations over the years must have been only concerned about guaranteeing their personal security before considering the entire population. It is this carefree attitude that may have accounted for the extremely porous borders across our region and all the way to parts of Central and North Africa. I remember Diezani Alison-Madueke telling reporters during the subsidy protests that our borders which are porous allowed for laundering of petroleum products and there was really nothing they could do about it. This may have accounted for the unavailability of intelligence report about the movement of hostiles and the location of kidnapped school girls from Nigeria’s northeast. It is also not difficult to understand why illegal game poachers thrive in this vast region and succeed at smuggling ivory amongst other treasured goods before seemingly disappearing into thin air. Weapons delivered to Libya would have been most likely routed through these unguarded corridors to reach Nigeria.

Countries respond to whatever perceived strength or hostility they detect from their neighbors and foes. India is about four times the size of Pakistan and the military figures of both nations are directly proportional to their respective population figures and their not too tranquil history. The same applies to Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and South Korea. The hostility there is palpable and although these nations are about one-ninth of Nigeria’s size, their military figures must be more than nine times of Nigeria’s best. Israel is just 20,770km² but they have more active and far more reserve military personnel than Nigeria does considering the highly tensed diplomatic relations they have or do not have with their neighbors. Many top nations may be improving their military technology and intelligence but this does not mean that their reserve pool will be grossly depleted. The preparedness of their people and the willingness to respond to the call of duty when required is lacking in Nigeria. Nigerian leaders have not seen the military as an avenue provide employment in the land and many do not see how a military career counts for anything. Many young boys and girls were sent to military schools in the 1980s and 1990s with the hope that they would make it big as long as the military was in power. That lure has since vaporized with the advent of get-rich-quick scams, talent shows and vacancies as political touts and mules for laundering foreign currency. Nigeria did not respond well to insurgency and terrorism but it is not too late to turn the tide.

There is no doubt that the military needs expansion; it is a massive institution and has the capacity to be a force for good in a country where the ills of soldiers past still smear the hearts and minds of the people. They need to recruit but they should not do it the same way they have been used to doing it. It should not be just be about finding references in retired military personnel strong enough to ensure one got in instead of another with weak or nonexistent influence. It should not be about whose relative one is and balancing some geopolitical equation. The army, airforce and navy should go out of their comfort zones and model themselves before young people in order to woo them; many of the Northern officers who enlisted at and around independence were said to have seen a young Yakubu Gowon in military uniform to impress them enough to sign up. There is no reason why the Navy should admit someone solely based on recognition while rejecting a natural diver. The individuals who retrieved the bodies of those on board the helicopter which crashed into the Lagos lagoon late last year ought to be considered for Navy careers with attractive benefits. The artillery corps of the Nigerian army should wheel out their obsolete equipment and have an exhibition under the bridge at Ojuelegba every day for two weeks handing out leaflets of what they are about and answering questions from inquisitive passersby. That mathematics graduate who has roamed the streets of Lagos Island for several months in search of a bank job may just be at Ojuelegba and learn that it takes a sound mathematical mind to command the activities of artillery officers. Military museums need to be set up and adequately maintained all across the federation so that the people can get to relate with the men and women who defend them. The image of bloodshot eyes and uncultured military men needs to be obliterated from our memories.

We are only as strong as our weakest link. We should support our own and publicly show solidarity and appreciate their efforts and sacrifices. They have the excesses no doubt but these will never be corrected if the civilian population remains ignorant and unconcerned of what the military go through. It is a tragedy indeed when we curse our service men and sing the praises of those who have only recently paraded themselves as cancer ravaged or with restricted mobility and confined to wheel chairs because they want to evade the charges of corruption against them. Is there any contraindication to stealing by people on crutches or those plagued by illness? It is now common knowledge in Nigeria that even a dead man is actively sending pocket money to the country he stole from and we are grateful.

January 15 is the day we remember our fallen heroes. What will we be remembered for as Nigerians? We may not have to carry a gun but we must enlist to defend the unity of this nation, to be faithful, loyal and honest in all our actions. That is the only way to uphold the honor and glory of Nigeria. Great countries did not become great by being soft on corruption and injustice; those nations took tough decisions and stood by them. The defence of our territory will only be done by Nigerians and not by simply crying out to other nations for assistance. I chose to be positive about Nigeria and declare that she is a prosperous and corruption free country; a blessing to the entire world.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the entire Nigerian Military. May the families and loved ones of those who have departed or sacrificed their lives for Nigeria be greatly comforted. Amen.