The Nation Newspaper

Tag: military

  • ‘Why America withheld military aid to Nigeria’

    ‘Why America withheld military aid to Nigeria’

    •How to defeat Boko Haram, by US ex-Defence Secretary
    •The Nation MD Ifijeh gets This Day Alumni Award

    America has withheld military support to Nigeria because of a law which bars it from helping countries where rights abuses occur, a former United States Secretary of Defence, Mr Robert Gates, has said.

    The United States, he said, shares a common hatred for terrorism but is limited by the Leahy Law in how much military aid it can give or ammunition it can supply to a country where gross rights abuses are alleged to occur.

    Gates served as Secretary of State to two presidents 2011 and was Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1991 to 1993.

    He was a guest at ThisDay newspaper’s 20th Anniversary Awards held on Saturday night.

    The event featured a session entitled: Conversations on Security involving Gates and Charles Hagel, who was a US senator from 1997 to 2009 and served as Secretary of Defence from 2013 to February this year.

    The Leahy Law prohibits US Department of State and Department of Defence from providing military assistance to foreign military units that violate human rights. If a military or police is found to have been credibly implicated in a serious abuse of human rights, the law stops US dollars from flowing to such units across the world. Thus, assistance is denied until America is convinced the host government has taken effective steps to bring the responsible persons to justice. The law is named after its sponsor Senator Patrick Leahy.

    ThisDay’s chairman, Nduka Obaigbena, who moderated the session, asked Gates and Hagel: “Does America prefer to respect the human rights of Boko Haram more than those of Nigerians?”

    Gates said the law places America in a difficult position, describing it as restrictive and inflexible, while suggesting that it be amended.

    “We obviously prefer the human rights of the people of Nigeria. I think we have a common hatred for the terrorists, otherwise known as Boko Haram. The question you raised is a difficult one for Americans because we have contradictory feelings and laws. Senator Hagel and I were Secretaries of Defence and we are governed by US Laws.

    “One of those laws is the Leahy Amendment that limits the assistance that the United States can give to other countries where there are accusations of human rights abuses by the military.

    “Speaking for both Senator Hagel and myself, we feel too limited by that law. It’s too inflexible. It doesn’t take into consideration the changes that have occurred. It doesn’t take into account the local circumstances that happened in these countries.

    “We deal with this problem not just in Nigeria but in the Philipines, Indonesia, Pakistan. So this is the problem that confronts us with our friends around the world. And we see the need to support our friends in Nigeria and these other countries in dealing with terrorists.

    “We want to provide military assistance and the kind of weapons and ammunition that you need to take on Boko Haram. Personally I have spent a number of hours talking to Senator Leahy about this law. I have real problems with it because it limits the President’s ability to do what’s in our own best interest which frankly is to support Nigerian government in the conflict,” he said.

    Gates said America’s standards of due process creates a conflict that leads to frequent arguments in the White House and elsewhere on how the US can support its friends and at the same time obey the law.

    “My personal view is: we need to do more to support Nigeria,” Gates said.

    Senator Hagel, who said the Leahy law had been enacted before he went to the Senate, agreed with Gates’ analysis, adding that they had no choice but to comply with the law even though it is restrictive.

    He said: “There is no question that Nigeria is a friend, a partner. We trade. We have common interests. There are too many facets of our lives that interconnect in our interests – there’s no question about that. The Nigeria-US situation is not unique, as Secretary Gates referred to. It is in every country where we have to deal with this issue.

    “The world is not a simple world, I think we all appreciate that. In the case of America’s interests and what we believe, they are exactly the same as yours. And so terrorism, Boko Haram, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, are threats to all of our countries and the future of every society.

    “We’ll continue to work within the structures we have and hopefully we’ll be able to amend that law. We should do more. We need to do more in helping Nigeria. I know Secretary Gates and I are committed to continue with that effort even though we’re out of office.”

    Responding to a question, Senator Hagel said unless the congress amends the law, President Obama is powerless to go beyond it.

    Gates added that the law is a disadvantage even to America’s interests.

    For instance, he said following rights abuses by Indonesian military, culprits were either arrested, fired or retired, yet the US has not resumed full military cooperation with Indonesia “because all of the strict provisions of the Leahy Amendment have not been fulfilled.”

    He said: “I’ve been to Indonesia several times as Secretary of Defence and tried to explain to them why this is wrong, why in our view the law needs to be changed, but as long as it remains the law, it limits our ability to cooperate.

    “I don’t know anybody in the American government who does not believe we have a common cause with the people of Nigeria against Boko Haram,” Gates said.

    Former Ekiti State Governor Dr Kayode Fayemi sought to know why America appears to be selective in its application of the law.

    He said the law was not strictly applied to Egypt which received America’s support despite abuses. Obaigbena added that it was not only Egypt, but Israel.

    Senator Hagel denied the allegations. He said after General Abdel El-Sisi took seized power from President Mohammed Morsi on January 3, 2013, America withheld some military assistance to Egypt.

    “We did stop a lot of the assistance we were giving Egypt when that occurred,” he said, adding however, that America could not have completely turned its back on Egypt.

    He admitted that there “some contradictions” in the law’s application because there is no country without some form of human rights issues.

    Gates said “consistency” in lawmaking should not be expected from the US Congress because it has made laws that worked to the disadvantage of America’s national security, including the one which required America to cut off all military contact with Pakistan for 12 years.

    “It created the problems that we have had with Pakistan since 2001,” he said.

    Gates said while it is important for America to assert its values in terms of human rights, they must be balanced with security issues.

    He said through all of its history, America has struggled to find a balance between its ideals and realism in its foreign policy.

    “So the question is: When it comes to the struggle between Boko Haram, ISIS and Al-Qaeda, where do we draw the balance in the countries with whom we cooperate? I believe that the Leahy Amendment draws the balance on the wrong side of the line and prevents us from helping governments that can help us help ourselves,” he said.

    On how Nigeria can defeat Boko Haram, Gates said it will require a combination of strategies.

    Responding to a question, he said: “It’s been more 20 since I retired as CIA director. But if I were there now, here is what I suspect: the analysis will be that Boko Haram is a real threat, that dealing with it requires a combination of security policies and actions, military actions, but also figuring out strategies that dissuade young people from wanting to join Boko Haram.”

    He said it will also involve deploying the power of religion to fill the “emptiness” Boko Haram members feel in their hearts “with something more positive and something more uplifting”.

    Gates said Nigeria has enormous human capital that needs to be developed, with latent economic, social, cultural, historical and military strength.

    “Figuring out how to mobilise those strengths is the challenge that lies before Nigeria’s leaders and its people,” he said.

    On his assessment of democracy in Nigeria, Senator Hagel said there is always room for improvement.

    He noted that America has 27 amendments to its Constitution to address a number of inequalities because it did not get everything right at first. For instance, less than 100 years ago, American women did not have the right to vote, he recalled.

    “If you have a system that allows you to self-correct along the way, that is the critical part of self-governance…America cannot impose its systems on other countries. Every country is different and that has to be factored in to your democracy. I think that democracy is moving in the right direction in Nigeria; I think that there is ample evidence of that,” Hagel said.

    Among those who got the Game Changers awards are the late Dr Ameyo Adadevoh; bombing survivor and campaigner Ms. Member Fesse, former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman Nuhu Ribadu, Zenith Bank chairman Jim Ovia, founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc Atedo Peterside, Chairman of UBA Group Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Zinox Group Leo Stan Ekeh, Chairman of Stallion Group Sunil Vaswani, lawyer and businessman Olatunde Ayeni and leading events manager Yewande Zacchaeus.

    Those who received Lifetime Achievement Awards include former Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group Managing Director Jackson Giaus-Obaseki, scholar-diplomat Prof Ibrahim Gambari, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (rtd), industrialist Chief Olusegun Osunkeye, former Daily Times Editor Prince Henry Odukomaiya, lawyer and businessman Oyekunle Alex-Duduyemi, and former Secretary of Health Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi.

    Obaigbena said others listed for awards, such as Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga, Prince Tony Momoh, Linda Ikeja, among others, would have theirs presented to them at their offices.

    The Distinguished Alumni award went to The Nation’s Managing Director Mr Victor Ifijeh, who joined ThisDay in 1995 as Political Editor and rose to become News Editor, Sunday Editor, Daily Editor and Managing Director; as well as to its former Editorial Board chairman Tunji Bello, who is Secretary to Lagos State Government.

    Former Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi, who joined ThisDay as a staff reporter and rose to become Deputy Editor and later Editorial Board member, also got the award, as well as Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) Bature Masari, who also worked at ThisDay, among others.

    Obaseki, accompanied by NNPC’s Group Managing Director Dr Ibe Kachikwu, urged Nigerians to support the Muhammadu Buhari administration. He praised the president for directing that 65 refineries be made to work and Kachikwu for restating that refineries were not for sale.

    He said: “I heard somebody say NNPC was dysfunctional. Let me say that we found ourselves at that stage in 1998. But when we came in 1999 we realised that sacrifice was needed, and we turned it round. I can, therefore, say with all certainty that it can be turned round. I am happy to have the new GMD by my side.

    “I have listened to his pronouncements. I believe that that vision that we set out in 1999 can still be realised. All I ask from you is to give the new GMD and his team the required support. And of course, to Mr President, and Nigeria will be good again. We can always do it. Support the NNPC. Support the new administration.”

    Responding on behalf of ‘ThisDay Alumni’, Ifijeh said: “We consider it a very great privilege and an honour to be so recognised. We thank the ‘Duke’ himself, the Chairman/Editor-in-Chief, media guru/entrepreneur, the father of all, for this honour. ThisDay is a great institution. In fact some call it the Practical University of Journalism. Many of us here will not be what we are today without ThisDay.

    “We were told in school that you can pass through an institution without the institution passing through you. But here we are. We applied ourselves to everything we did in ThisDay and we’re so glad that we have been honoured. I congratulate all our other colleagues who are not here, some deaceased; without them there will be no ThisDay. ThisDay will continue to grow from strength to strength.”

    Among guests at the event were former governors Babatunde Fashola (SAN) (Lagos), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Peter Obi (Anambra), Fayemi (Ekiti), Vanguard Publisher Uncle Sam Amuka, industrialist Oba Otudeko, among others.

  • Military might and national security

    The strength of any nation is determined by its ability to protect its citizens from foreign and domestic aggression. Overtime, students of history have come to realise that it is completely erroneous to presume that population density alone or the size of a nation’s land mass are major determinants needed to gauge the strength of such nations.

    In the world today, some nations have attained the status of ‘world power’. These nations, based on their ability to sway the tide of international policies, appear invincible on the global stage. As a matter of fact, the stability of such nations has allowed their citizens to flourish, having attained self-reliant status. Amazingly, many of these world powers have maintained their role as such, by keeping other nations perpetually dependent on them when it comes to self-sufficiency and security matters.

    After a thorough understudy of great nations on earth today, one can easily assume that lasting security leads to lasting peace, and lasting peace translates into societies that have the capacity to pursue positive innovations.

    Following the military history of Nigeria – from the Congo crisis to the Nigerian Civil War and to the first and second Liberian Civil War, down to the insurgency by Boko Haram, it is easy to reason that Nigeria’s once great armed forces, has deteriorated over the years. This is, however, problematic as it is on record that the Nigerian military has served as the backbone of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) peacekeeping forces in the West African sub-region. More so, Nigeria has always contributed significantly to the United Nations security operations around the world.

    Recently, especially under civilian rule, Nigeria has experienceduntold decay and crass failure of military operations and intelligence gathering. The once-great ‘giant of Africa’ has steadily lost the once-revered potencyof its militarypower due to weak institutional frameworks, corruption, indiscipline, technical deficiency, poor motivation and training.

    A former Military Head of State and President, Chief OlusegunObasanjo, gave a shocking revelationof the Nigerian military in his inaugural address in 1999 when he said: “…professionalism has been lost… my heart bleeds to see the degradation in the proficiency of the military.” Similarly, Major Michael Stafford of the US Marine Corps also noted that “inexperienced, poorly trained and ineptly led soldiers manifested the lack of professionalism and indiscipline by massacre of innocent civilians and failure to effectively execute infantry tactics.”

    As a matter of urgency, Nigeria needs to immediately embark on a pivot of complete restoration of its armed forces. This pivot must work to replenish the lost glory of our men and women in uniform, by intensifying efforts on meeting the operational, logistic, training and welfare requirements of the armed forces.

    At this juncture, it is important to acknowledgeable that President MuhammaduBuhari, a former military man, and President and Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria’s Armed Forces, has immediately swung into action by working to identify the remote challenges within our military that have led to the spread of insecurity and insurgency.

    The new government has implied by its actions, that the armed forces of the nation remains our only hope to secure the sort of lasting peace that is required to bring about sustainable development. The directive of the President to the Ministry of Defence on the graduation day of Course 23 of the National Defence College in Abuja on Friday, August 7, 2015, points to the fact that the Buhari administration is working to ensure that Nigeria becomes more self-sufficient in regards to its security challenges.

    As a matter of fact, the president’s statement has captured core areas that the military must take cognizance of: “Such weapons when produced, would meet some of the requirements of the country’s armed forces,” the President said. He added: “we must evolve viable mechanisms for nearself-sufficiency in military equipment and logistics production complemented only by very advanced foreign technologies.”

    If these developments continue to play out in our public arena, Nigeria can once again occupy its pride of place in the league of global powerhouses. This development will also enable Nigeria to embark on innovative approaches to securing its own development, as it is envisioned that with the efficiency of the military, lasting peace will lead to prolonged development in the country. Such a situation – if ever attained – would surely be to the benefit of every Nigerian that hopes to see the country succeed.

     

    Akorede has just graduated from UNILORIN

  • Military to curb rustling in Northwest

    Military to curb rustling in Northwest

    The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said it is coordinating a joint operation of the Army and Air Force to combat cattle rustling in Kamuku forest.

    Acting Director of Defence Information, Col. Rabe Abubakar, in a statement yesterday in Abuja, said the joint operation became necessary because “criminals, miscreants and thugs had taken over the forest, thus constituting a nuisance.”

    It said in the course of the operation, a number of rustlers had been routed and many stolen cattle recovered.

    The statement said the operation would be sustained until the forest was free of criminals and miscreants.

    It said the Joint Task Force, code-named ‘Operation Pulo Shield’, in the Niger Delta, had intercepted a large barge conveying about 150,000 litres of illegally-refined petroleum products.

    “The JTF boat was on a routine patrol when it accosted the barge on illegal mission at Frado Oil Company Tank Farm at Oghara in Ethiope Local Government Area of Delta State.

    “The captain of the barge and the crew are in custody and are helping security agencies in their investigation.”

    According to the statement, the Defence Headquarters restated the resolve of the military to guarantee the safety of life and property.

    “While the military will continue to work hard to fight  piracy, bunkering and operation of illegal refinery, it will also prevent economic saboteurs from doing further damage to the economy.

    “The DHQ warns perpetrators of illegalities in the maritime domain and those engaging in cattle rustling to desist from before  the law catches up with them,” it said.

    The statement said the DHQ reassured the public to go about their normal and legitimate businesses without fear of harassment or molestation.

  • Military gets kudos for renewed onslaught against Boko Haram

    Military gets kudos for renewed onslaught against Boko Haram

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has hailed the military for ramping up the fight against Boko Haram, saying the visible paradigm shift in the  battle against the insurgents is yielding results.

    In a statement in Lagos on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the rejuvenated military was now taking the battle to the insurgents, instead of waiting for them to attack.

    It described as refreshing and reassuring the fact that Service chiefs had been visiting the battle field in the Northeast, not only to pep up the fighting men and women but also to meet with political and community leaders.

    ‘’The stepped-up fight against Boko Haram has convinced Nigerians that indeed their military is getting its groove back, and can beat the three-month deadline set by President Muhammadu Buhari for the defeat of Boko Haram.

    ‘’The renewed battle has also shown that President Buhari was right in directing the relocation of the military’s command and control centre from Abuja to Maiduguri.

    ‘’Watching the video clip of Air Force jets pounding targets in Sambisa Forest, which is the fortress of the insurgents, over the weekend, arouses great pride in the military,’’ APC said.

    The party said thanks to the purposeful leadership and political will provided by President Buhari, Nigeria’s neighbours are now ready to contribute in full to the battle, with the latest news showing that Cameroon had tripled its initial troops to the Multi-National Joint Task Force to 2,400 troops.

    ‘’Also, contrary to the lies being propagated by the naysayers, President Buhari’s visit to the United States has reset Nigeria’s relations with that country to the level where military hardware is now being sent to Nigeria to increase the country’s military firepower,’’ it said.

    APC said while the military must sustain its efforts to further degrade the fighting ability of the insurgents, it is important for Nigerians to continue to support the troops so that the monsters, who have killed and maimed at will in the past years, can be defeated once and for all.

    ‘’We have always believed that the military, which has distinguished itself globally since its first participation in a UN peacekeeping mission in the Congo in 1960, has what it takes not only to protect and defend Nigeria’s territorial integrity but also to win an asymmetrical warfare, such as the one against Boko Haram – under the right circumstances. We are glad that the military is now proving us right,’’ the party said.

     

  • Boko Haram no longer a fighting force – former Air Chief

    Boko Haram no longer a fighting force – former Air Chief

    Immediate past Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu‎ Thursday said the military has decimated terrorist group Boko Haram to the point that the sect can no longer fight.

    He made the disclosure in Lagos at a reception for a meritorious service organised in his honour by people and monarch of Badagry monarch.

    Amosu who expressed hope that insurgency by Boko Haram sect will soon be in the past, maintained that the military has successfully pushed the group to a point where they can no longer fight.

    “We thank God today that the end of boko haram is very close. We have done sufficiently and we are winning the war. It is just left for the people that took over from us to complete the job,” he said.

    While noting that most of the terrorists were teenagers not more than 15 years of age, ‎Amosu advised that young people should not be neglected to avoid their becoming ready recruits for such groups.

    “We should not neglect our youths and get them into the hands of terrorists. We are going to concentrate on making sure that our (Badagry) youths become educated and stakeholders in the Nigerian equation.

    ”We must set up a programme where we can give our youths the opportunity to be able to serve at the state and federal level,” he said, commanding the monarch, Oba Aholu Menu-Toyi 1‎ for the grand reception and chieftaincy title conferred on him.

    For serving Air Force personnel, Amosu urged them to remain hard-working and committed in their service to the nation.

    ”This should be the guiding principle from now on. We have started to see the result of hardwork,” he said.

  • 71 captives rescued as troops smash Boko Haram camps

    71 captives rescued as troops smash Boko Haram camps

    [dropcap]S[/dropcap]kinny men and women. Frail old people and ailing young boys and girls. They were all excited to be free — thanks to troops who subdued two Boko Haram camps in Chuogori and Shantumari, Borno State.

    The seizure of the camps was spearheaded by troops from 21 Brigade and Nigerian Army Engineers.

    In Kashingeri, Wale, Kushingari and other camps, 151 Task Force Battalion troops rescued 71 civilians from the terrorists’ camps.

    Amid the success, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, yesterday listed why the war had been tough.

    He said:

    • the military’s equipment was not enough;
    • some fifth columnists in the military and other security agencies were leaking operational plans to the insurgents; and
    • when the insurgency broke out in the Northeast, the military had been overstretched.

    The Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman, said troops dislodged insurgents from two camps yesterday and rescued 59 from three others.

    In a statement last night, Col. Usman said: “As part of efforts to rid Nigeria of Boko Haram terrorists, troops of 21 Brigade and elements of Nigerian Army Engineers yesterday cleared a notorious terrorists’ camp at Chuogori and Shantumari, Borno State.

    “During the offensive operations, the fleeing terrorists left underground silos.

    “In addition, troops of 151 Task Force Battalion conducted operations on Kashingeri, Wale and Kushingari Boko Haram terrorists camps today.

    During the raids, quite a number of the terrorists were killed; a Landrover vehicle and a tipper were recovered.

    “The troops also rescued 59 civilians that were held captive by the terrorists and cleared the camps.”

    Some of the captives told The Associated Press that they were in the clutches of the extremists for as long as a year.

    “I was waiting for death … they often threatened to kill us,” said Yagana Kyari, a woman in her 20s, who said she had been kidnapped from her village of Kawuri and taken to a militant camp in Walimberi, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Maiduguri.

    Kyari said they often went hungry because the extremists never provided enough food.

    “Our gallant troops have rescued 59 civilians in two camps of the terrorist group,” army spokesman Col. I.T. Gusau said. “Many of the terrorists were killed in the course of the operations, but mop-up is still going on.”

    The 59, all women and children except for five elderly men, were freed on Thursday, he said. Another 12 women and girls were rescued Wednesday from Kilakisa, 90 kilometres (55 miles) southwest of Maiduguri, he said.

    Air Chief Marshal Badeh was delivering his valedictory address at his Pulling-Out from the Nigerian Armed Forces.

    He said: “Notwithstanding the modest successes we recorded in the fight against terror, I must say that the task of co-ordinating the military and other security agencies in the fight against the insurgents is perhaps the most complex and challenging assignment I have had in my over 38 years in service.

    “For the first time, I was head of a military that lacked the relevant equipment and motivation to fight an enemy that was invisible and embedded with the local populace.

    “Added to this was the exploitation of a serious national security issue by a section of the press and the political class to gain political mileage.

    “Furthermore, the activities of fifth columnists in the military and other security agencies who leaked operational plans and other sensitive military information to the terrorists, combined to make the fight against the insurgents particularly difficult.

    “The activities of these unpatriotic members of the military not only blunted the effectiveness of the fight, but also led to the needless deaths of numerous officers and men who unwittingly fell into ambushes prepared by terrorists who had advance warnings of the approach of such troops.

    “The decision by certain countries to deny us weapons to prosecute the war also added to the challenges we faced.”

    He said the military was overstretched by the time Boko Haram insurgency reached its peak in the Northeast.

     He said: “Over the years, the military was neglected and under-equipped to ensure the survival of certain regimes, while other regimes, based on advice from some foreign nations, deliberately reduced the size of the military and underfunded it.

    “Unfortunately, our past leaders accepted such recommendations without appreciating our peculiarities as a third world military, which does not have the technological advantage that could serve as force multipliers and compensate for reduced strength.

    “Accordingly, when faced with the crises in the Northeast and other parts of the country, the military was overstretched and had to embark on emergency recruitment and trainings, which were not adequate to prepare troops for the kind of situation we found ourselves in.

    “It is important therefore for the government to decide on the kind of military force it needs, by carrying out a comprehensive review of the nation’s military force structure to determine the size, capability and equipment holding required to effectively defend the nation and provide needed security. This is based on the fact that without security, there cannot be sustainable development. The huge cost that would be required to rebuild the Northeast and other trouble spots in the country could have been avoided if the military had been adequately equipped and prepared to contain the ongoing insurgency before it escalated to where it is today.”

    Notwithstanding, Air Chief Marshal Badeh said his tenure witnessed many achievements.

    He said: “Despite these challenges, I am glad to note that a lot was achieved during our time in the fight against terror. The achievements recorded are largely due to the commitment, patriotism and fighting spirit of our men and women in uniform who saw the fight against terror as a task that must be accomplished no matter the odds and in spite of the campaign of calumny against the military by a section of the media with their foreign collaborators.

    “The support of our teeming populace who have continued to stand behind their military has been quite encouraging.

    “Also, our true friends who stood by us in our time of need and provided us the weapons we are now using to conduct the operations will always have a special place in our hearts.

    “I must also mention the support and co-operation we have continued to enjoy from our neighbouring countries, which have enabled us to present a united front against a common enemy.

    “The great support we have continued to receive and the determination of our patriotic troops to defeat this enemy of our nation has not only helped us to remain focused, but to also embark on other projects for the armed forces.

    Air Chief Marshal Badeh, however, said no nation could depend on other countries for its defence needs.

    He asked Nigeria to look inward by building a defence industrial complex.

    He added:  “I want to state emphatically that no nation can achieve its full security potentials by totally depending on other nations for its defence needs. The lessons of the civil war and the ongoing war against terror where certain countries frustrated our attempts to procure much needed weapons are very instructive.

    “Again, as I have always said, when a nation is at war, it is not the military alone that is at war, it is the entire nation. Accordingly, every segment of society must see itself contributing to the overall war effort by presenting a united front against a common enemy.

    “Therefore, I appeal to the relevant agencies of government to mobilise the huge human and material resources we have in this country towards the development of a vibrant Defence Industrial Complex that would contribute to meeting our critical arms and equipment needs. This is crucial if we must reduce our total dependence on foreign sources of supply for critically needed arms.

    “That is the only way we can retain our dignity as a nation in order to have freedom of action in international affairs.”

    Air Chief Marshal Badeh, under whose tenure newspapers were confiscated, still criticised the press in his valedictory address.

    He said: “A major challenge we faced during my tenure was the negative media coverage of the activities of the Armed Forces in the ongoing war against terror in the Northeast.

    “We, therefore, resolved to have a medium through which we can tell our own side of the story in an objective and accurate manner. This gave birth to the establishment of the Armed Forces Radio, broadcasting on 107.7 FM from the Mogadishu Cantonment.

    “Also, we were able to complete and commission the Armed Forces DNA Laboratory in Mogadishu Cantonment.”

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  • Why we could not defeat Boko Haram, by ex Defence chief

    Why we could not defeat Boko Haram, by ex Defence chief

    Ex Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh has identified the military’s lack of equipment and motivation for the inability to defeat the Boko Haram insurgency ravaging the Northeast.

    Badeh also blamed those he referred to as fifth columnist among the Armed Forces and other security agencies for leakage of intelligence information to the insurgents in the counter insurgency campaign.

    “For the first time, I was head of a military that lacked the relevant equipment and motivation to fight an enemy that was invisible and embedded with the local populace.

    “Added to this, was the exploitation of a serious national security issue by a section of the press and the political class to gain political mileage.

    “Furthermore, the activities of fifth columnists in the military and other security agencies who leaked operational plans and other sensitive military information to the terrorists, combined to make the fight against the insurgents particularly difficult”, the ex Defence chief stated.

    Badeh stated this Thursday in his valedictory address at the pulling out ceremony to mark his exit from the Armed Forces. He was removed alongside other Service Chiefs on July 13.

    He regretted that unpatriotic activities of certain members of the military blunted the effectiveness of the fight against the insurgents, leading to the needless death of officers and men in the hands of the insurgents.

    He continued, “The decision by certain countries to deny us weapons to prosecute the war also added to the challenges we faced. Despite these challenges, I am glad to note that a lot was achieved during our time in the fight against terror.

    “The achievements recorded are largely due to the commitment, patriotism and fighting spirit of our men and women in uniform who saw the fight against terror as a task that must be accomplished no matter the odds and inspite of the campaign of calumny against the military by a section of the media with their foreign collaborators.

    “The support of our teeming populace who have continued to stand behind their military has been quite encouraging. Also, our true friends who stood by us in our time of need and provided us the weapons we are now using to conduct the operations will always have a special place in our hearts”.

    Further lamenting the underfunding of the military by successive administrations, Badeh said the development left the nation’s military ill prepared for the Boko Haram insurgency.

    According to him, this left available military facilities and personnel overstretched, leading to the devastation in the Northeast occasioned by insurgent attacks.

    “Permit me to also add here, that nation’s militaries are equipped and trained in peace time, for the conflicts they expect to confront in the future.

    “Unfortunately that has not been our experience as a nation. Over the years, the military was neglected and underequipped to ensure the survival of certain regimes, while other regimes, based on advice from some foreign nations, deliberately reduced the size of the military and underfunded it.

    “Unfortunately, our past leaders accepted such recommendations without appreciating our peculiarities as a third world military, which does not have the technological advantage that could serve as force multipliers and compensate for reduced strength.

    “Accordingly, when faced with the crises in the Northeast and other parts of the country, the military was overstretched and had to embark on emergency recruitments and trainings, which were not adequate to prepare troops for the kind of situation we found ourselves in.

    “It is important therefore for the government to decide on the kind of military force it needs, by carrying out a comprehensive review of the nation’s military force structure to determine the size, capability and equipment holding required to effectively defend the nation and provide needed security.

    “This is based on the fact that without security, there cannot be sustainable development. The huge cost that would be required to rebuild the Northeast and other trouble spots in the country could have been avoided if the military had been adequately equipped and prepared to contain the on going insurgency before it escalated to where it is today,” he submitted.

  • Biden to Buhari: military option alone can’t win terror war

    Biden to Buhari: military option alone can’t win terror war

    United States (U.S.) Vice President Joe Biden yesterday urged the Federal Government to introduce socio-economic support programmes to its strategy against Boko Haram.

    Biden offered the advice at a breakfast meeting to which he hosted President Muhammadu Buhari at his official resident .

    Drawing experience from counter-terrorism battles, the U.S. Vice President said military option alone cannot guarantee victory.

    The breakfast meeting afforded Biden opportunity to compare notes with Buhari on the terror war.

    America had been beleaguered by terrorists, who launched massive attacks that killed thousands in the bombing of the twin tower World Trade Centre (WTC) on September 11, 2001, while Nigeria is battling the Boko Haram sect in the Northeast.

    At the meeting, which held at the Naval Observatory, Biden shared with his guest what the U.S had learnt from the terror war and counselled that victory cannot come from military option alone.

    “Military option must be combined with strong socio-economic support programmes” Biden said, promising that the U.S. will work with Nigeria in that direction.

    He assured BUhari of  the goodwill of the U.S. in rebuilding the Nigerian economy, but observed that corruption and weak institutions must be tackled, if Nigeria was to benefit from reforms.

    He suggested that seasoned technocrats should manage key sectors of the Nigerian economy to attract investors.

    Biden congratulated President Buhari on his victory at the March 28 election, adding that it was obvious that the President enjoys the confidence of the Nigerian people.

    Responding, President Buhari thanked the U.S for standing by Nigeria in the run-up to the general elections early this year, noting that the visit of the Secretary of State John Kerry, was critical as it sent home the message that America would not brook the subversion of the people’s will.

    On oil theft, the Nigerian President estimated losses at between $10 and $20 billion dollars, stressing that such income could have been deployed with salutary impact on various spheres of national life like education and healthcare.

     

  • Restore military checkpoints

    SIR: A few weeks ago, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the removal of all the military checkpoints put in place nationwide in the wake of the onslaught by the Boko Haram sect. The president, who gave the directive during a meeting with the service chiefs, noted that the decision was meant to eradicate the hardships being experienced by commuters and motorists due to the existence of the checkpoints. Since then, Nigerians have received the decision with mixed feelings in view of the increased and recent attacks carried out by suicide bombers in many cities in the North such as those that occurred in Kaduna, Borno, Plateau and Yobe states, thereby fuelling fears that the insurgents might have exploited the opportunity of checkpoint removal to be launching further attacks on the nation.

    Honestly, the order by President Buhari that military checkpoints should be dismantled is understandable, sensitive and appreciated, based on the imperative of making the movement of road-users less cumbersome and the premise that the job of internal security actually belongs to the police since the military have enough to cope with in safeguarding sovereignty of the nation. The truth however is that the Nigeria Police, as presently constituted, is incapable of providing adequate internal security for the nation. It is logical to advise that in trying to ameliorate the suffering of the people, though laudable, the government should not be seen as throwing away the baby with the bathwater. On announcing the scrapping of the checkpoints, the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, had stressed that the additional 158 patrol vehicles would be deployed across the country to fill any security vacuum that may occur with the removal of military checkpoints. This may not be assuring enough because the issue of fighting terrorism and national security go beyond the acquisition of additional operational vehicles.

    The complete disengagement of the military from the responsibility of internal security appears too sudden and dangerous for the country. If this would have to be done, it is better to make it a gradual process. Many vulnerable flash points still remain in several parts of the country that cannot be left unsecured without the military. We should not forget that the reason military operatives were involved in internal security in the first place may not be too far from the fact that the police has to contend with the challenge of adequate personnel and its inability to effectively protect lives and property, especially with the introduction of terrorism into the nation’s security landscape. Hence, no vacuum should be created with the removal of checkpoints such that insurgents would deceptively take advantage of the situation to further launch more deadly attacks.

    The police should be better motivated and strengthened. No doubt, there are brilliant and capable officers and men in the Force; With less than 400,000 policemen in a country of about 170 million people, the reality is that the country is grossly under-policed.  Regrettably, a large number of our police personnel are still being attached to private individuals and politicians. There is the need to correct this anomaly that has greatly limited the capability of the police to work optimally.

    Until Nigeria has a police force that is formidable and well-decentralized in the true sense of federalism, effective policing would continue to be a mirage. That is why the idea of state police should be revisited. With the appointment of a new National Security Adviser and other service chiefs, it is hoped that the security situation in the country would improve considerably. For now, to ensure that the nation is not over-run by terrorists, military checkpoints should be restored.

    • Adewale Kupoluyi,

    Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta

  • Military plans strategy against suicide bombing

    Military plans strategy against suicide bombing

    In what turned out to be his last official outing as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt.-Gen. Keneth Minimah yesterday expressed concern over the spate of suicide bombings by Boko Haram insurgents and the heavy casualties.

    He said the army was fashioning out more effective ways of responding to the threat.

    Gen. Minimah spoke at the opening of the Chief of Army Staff second quarterly conference in Abuja.

    The conference was dominated by talks on modalities for proactive response to suicide bombing.

    Gen. Minimah said the army would seek ways of working with other security agencies to tackle suicide bombing.

    His words: “I therefore urge you to use the opportunity offered by this conference to deliberate on measures to enable the Nigerian Army, in synergy with sister-services, security agencies and paramilitary organisations to adequately respond to this tactics of the terrorists.”

    The former COAS observed that the insurgents had resorted to suicide bombing because their ability to face troops in any form of combat had been seriously degraded.

    He deplored the insurgents’ choice of innocent and venerable targets in worship places, markets and schools for bomb attacks, describing the action as cowardly.

    Gen. Minimah said the conference offered the opportunity to review counter insurgency operations and help the army prepare better for events lined up for the rest of the year.

    The army chief praised Nigerians for their patriotism and nationalism in supporting the Army in the counter insurgency campaign.

    He hailed the troops, who he said continued to make sacrifices in the war against terrorism.

    The former army chief thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his support to the Armed Forces.

    “His sustained effort at national, regional and international levels towards addressing insecurity in the country since assumption of office has reassured us that victory over the Boko Haram terrorists is in sight,” Gen. Minimah stated.