By Fineman Goyei
As a renowned American writer on politics and foreign affairs, Robert D. Kaplan says, “Terrorism can go anywhere where there is not a strong government or government that cannot control its hinterlands”. The current Nigerian state is, as it were, a perfect fit of Kaplan’s description.
With over 200 million people and a landmass of 923, 763 km2, a vast expanse of Nigeria’s hinterlands is unoccupied and unmanned. Such uninhabited places in the hinterlands have gradually become breeding grounds for banditry, hoodlums, terrorism and other associated vices.
In the last one decade, the Northeast has become the hotbed of Boko Haram insurgency. So far, government efforts in degrading the terrorist group have not yielded any lasting result.
Rather, Boko Haram has metamorphosed into a deadlier jihadist terrorist organisation with suspected local and international links and sources of funding. More worrisome is even the increasing spate of attacks by the insurgents and the human toll it continues to leave on its trail.
If government’s claim that Boko Haram has been “technically defeated” is anything to go by, who then are those that have continued to unleash terror in the Northeast? Is Boko Haram a conspiracy? Is the group actually that powerful to withstand military onslaught this long?
Is the group too powerful to be decimated by Nigeria’s military, once respected for its exploits in Sierra Leone and Liberia? Have the insurgents become ghosts with superior fire power?
What can Nigerians say about the repentant and therefore, reintegrated Boko Haram insurgents some of who are now alleged to be in the military? Is that a right path to follow? With the moles sabotaging the efforts of the military, will insurgency end in the Northeast?
Has the military the needed equipment and personnel to crack down on Boko Haram? Is there the political will on the part of government and the military to eliminate this diehard terrorist group? Are the men and officers in the battle field properly motivated and well provided for to take the war to the insurgents?
Is government sure that it has the back of the military or vice versa? These and many more are questions begging for answers. For the present administration to win the fight against Boko Haram, these questions must be answered with sobriety and the seriousness it deserves.
Whereas in some quarters, the military has been perceived as an accomplice in the Boko Haram insurgency, the weightier matters which require urgent attention however, is the need for government to improve on the welfare and conditions of the ground troops who are dangerously exposed and function under avoidable harsh conditions.
The neglect of the basic welfare of the country’s brave warriors in combat and the age-long corruption within the military, it should be made clear, exerts negative impact on their morale and willingness to engage the enemy.
It is natural for a disgruntled and frustrated soldier not to be in the right frame of mind and spirit to fight or be ready to die for his country.
Many soldiers serving in various military locations of Operation Lafia Dole in the Northeast are not only dissatisfied but they have also become so de-motivated to fight the good fight of territorial security.
Government and, in particular, the top military echelon, are still to address the challenges confronting the men and officers in the trenches combating Boko Haram.
Despite the huge spending on military hardware, the force cannot boast of state-of-the-art weapons and the technology required to effectively prosecute the war against Boko Haram.
Men in the battle field are using obsolete and unserviceable Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), Gun Trucks, Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs), Manual Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Scanners and AK47 Rifles.
In part, these inadequacies of the military have made it possible for the insurgents to launch successful attacks on military locations in Damasak, Geidam, Gubiu, Baga, Karito and Julie to mention but a few. The capture and massacre of the nation’s valued men and officers by Boko Haram is avoidable, with the appropriate support.
It is indeed, appalling to hear that men and officers in the battle front can be minimised if the APCs, RPGs and Gun Trucks deployed are in good shape. It is totally illogical to expect a win from soldiers pushing broken-down equipment within the enemy’s territory.
In addition, officers in the combat zone suffer long delay in the payment of their operational allowances and monthly salaries – a situation that punctures their morale.
Regular rotation of men from one location to another is lacking. More so, some officers have not smelt or served even a day in the Northeast, while many others have spent as long as two to three years there without proceeding on a pass or being redeployed outside that region. The prolonged stay of some officers in such military locations have not only triggered fatigue but also caused frustration among them.
As it were, most Nigerian soldiers in the frontlines of the insurgency are disgruntled and dispirited. Partly, the weaknesses of the military in the Northeast can be attributed to the endemic corruption, nepotism and favouritism which characterise the institution. Government only speaks about fairness, improved welfare and motivation only on the pages of newspapers and on the television.
Motivation which boosts high morale should not be compromised in any serious military set up. An unmotivated soldier at the battle front stands the risk of losing the drive to ensure a positive result. They may, at times, even compromise intelligence to the advantage of the enemy.
The perception that the Boko Haram insurgents may have infiltrated the ranks of the military may, as such, not be a far cry from the truth. The mode of attacks by the insurgent and the successful ambushes on military locations and patrol teams tends to give credence to the claim that Boko Haram may have planted moles in the military.
To overcome the insurgency in the Northeast, government must undertake certain steps. These include ridding the military of all out-dated and unserviceable weapons and rearming its arsenal base with state-of-the-art equipment that can be deployed for prosecuting modern and anti-terrorist warfare.
This requires the collaboration of the National Assembly, the institution with the power to appropriate funds for national security and oversee same. It therefore, behoves on the military authority to work closely with the relevant committees of the National Assembly to visit the military locations and deployments within the entire theatre of operation in the Northeast to have a feel of the realty on ground.
A periodic staff audit and rotation of men and officers serving in the Northeast is also necessary. This is to ensure regular rotation of men to the battle zone until all members of the Force do their terms in the insurgency affected northeast. In this way, the issue of overstay and fatigue among men on the ground can be addressed.
Lastly, government must show clear ownership of its men in the Northeast. Both government and the military authorities are expected to show concern for the injury of even a soldier, much less the continuous killing of its deaths of its gallant soldiers by those untrained insurgents.
This calls for a 360 degrees change of attitude on the part of the military authorities at different levels. The generals must live by example and, at times, learn to hear from their subordinates in the battlefield. It is also time they looked inwards and address the endemic corruption, favouritism and nepotism, if the war against insurgency in the North-East must be worn.
Essential is also the urgent need to for the military to undertake regular audit of its men and officers. They should also conduct regular oversight on the activities of their subordinates alongside the goings-on in the theatre of operations. The time has come for the generals to leave their air-conditioned offices to the frontlines, with their sleeves rolled up. They should also be ready to call spade a spade and ensure that a round peg is put in a round hole.
The men and officers of the Nigerian military cannot be fine abroad and be ugly at home. If the men in the trenches are properly equipped, motivated and rewarded for performing, they will surely best the fight.
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