By Augustine Aminu
According to the US Chief of Army Staff, General William C. Westmoreland (1968 to 1972), “The military don’t start wars. Politicians start wars.” Going forward, when the army inevitably weighs in, perseverance through adversity is the key to succeeding in battle. It’s the ability to push forward that matters most.
For Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt Gen Tukur Yusufu Buratai, General Westmoreland couldn’t have delivered better, timelier counsel, on the way to go. Beset by significant deficits in funding, equipment, logistics, updated combat doctrine in a new-to-the-nation conflict, Buratai has moved unrelentingly to change the narrative and reposition the Nigerian Army to better confront and defeat the foe, on multiple fronts.
Significantly, in the heat of conflict, Buratai has also ensured that the Nigerian Army continues to remain apolitical, professional and commendably responsive in the discharge of its constitutional roles. To validate the essence of this analysis, it would be germane to look at the grounds covered by the Nigerian Army-led Buratai.
For emphasis, today, the nation is confronted by a mix of new-to-country insurgency driven by the Boko Haram – gradually morphing into an enlarged asymmetric conflict with the African wing of ISIS (called ISWAP), which has access to sophisticated weapons and foreign funding.
Throw in flagrant banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling and the foreign killer herdsmen activity, then a fair picture of the nature of the extant challenges can be appreciated. Give it to him – Lt-Gen Buratai has approached this ‘war’ with different tactics and weapons but more importantly with the common goal of success in the face of battle.
In the light of the fight against Boko Haram terrorists, the most critical threat to Nigeria, in the North East zone, the Nigerian Army, in conjunction with other Services and security agencies have dominated the area and continue to carry out sustained operations against the insurgents. In terms of protecting the nation’s territorial integrity, the nation’s land borders have not been breached as the army continually maintains a posture to defend Nigeria’s territorial rights and interests. Security relations with neighbors like Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republics has remained relatively calm, except for increased trafficking of small arms and light weapons across the borders among other cross-border criminality.
Since Buratai’s appointment in 2015 as COAS, the Nigerian Army has witnessed a lot of reorganization and redeployment in a bid to improve its overall operational responsiveness and professionalism. Recently, he approved the redeployment of some field and operational commanders in order to inject new ideas in the command and control structure in various Army operations across the country. The Army is also reorganizing to align with some current realities. The COAS also ordered a change from a wholly defensive posture to one where the force defends in numbers and conducts offensive operations in smaller packets but simultaneously in different fronts.
In the critical arena of training, the army has expanded its in-theater training for troops in the frontlines to afford them the required capabilities to conduct effective operations. Special attention was also given to providing local and foreign training opportunities for all cadre of officers and soldiers. Last year alone, more than 200 personnel have attended foreign courses while 2,390 have attended local courses and training programmes, ranging from masters’ degree programmes to workshops and conferences. The NA has also hosted over 300 local and international conferences, seminars or summits either solely or in-conjunction with other bodies.
Also, in 2018, the Buratai-led Nigerian Army encouraged and supported all its officers and soldiers who have innovative ideas and competencies. The force also resumed full collaboration with the Defence Industries Coorporation of Nigeria (DICON) for needed parts, small arms and ammunition. Similarly, it is partnering with several companies in Nigeria including Innoson Motors, Proforce Limited and Nigeria Machine Tools, among others, towards the production of light and heavy armoured vehicles, critical equipment as well as protective clothing for Nigerian Army troops.
These collaborations have led to the development of the TYB Rover, Infantry Patrol Vehicle (IPV) and the Bionbion Helicopter, amongst several other equipment. The army is also engaging some foreign technical companies and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to help repair and refurbish some of the army’s heavier and more delicate platforms.
The successful invention and production of the first indigenous combat vehicles at the Command Engineering Depot was one of the greatest achievements of the army during last year. According to Lt-Gen Buratai, the production of the Mines Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) nicknamed, ‘Ezugwu MRAP’ was an entirely indigenous production effort from start to finish by the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON).
According to him, the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital was upgraded to the UN Ultramodern Level 4 hospital in Nigeria that will cater for the medical needs of troops and other Nigerians.
In Buratai’s words: “These two projects will no doubt save significant foreign exchange of the country which could be used for other developmental purposes. Within the period under review, the Nigerian army embarked on massive infrastructure development in line with the Nigerian Army Order of Battle 2019.
“We conducted several local and overseas trainings; we carried out various operations as well as optimised logistical supports among others. We also evolved seamless and effective measures and improved tremendously in our welfare packages as approved to us by Mr. President to boost the morale of troops across the nation.”
The Nigerian Army also established the Nigerian Army Women Corps (NAWC) to develop female officers and soldiers that can be employed in all operational engagements of the force. The Nigerian Army University Biu (NAUB) has been approved, established and has commenced its academic programmes. The Nigerian Army Vehicle Manufacturing Company (NAVMC) was also established to support strides in vehicle manufacturing.
The Army also commenced direct training for personnel to acquire sufficient knowledge and communication skills in three major Nigerian languages to better fit in anywhere they may be deployed. It also established the first ever Cyber Warefare Command which will effectively tackle the fake news against the force, the country and also secure its cyber domain from hostile elements.
Meanwhile, provision of adequate healthcare to Army personnel and their families continues to remain a priority for Buratai. It’s on record that from January 18 to date, 36 officers, 144 soldiers and 7 family members of personnel have benefited in the Nigerian Army Medical Evacuation both within and outside the country. Currently, there are twelve patients and twelve escorts in India receiving treatment. He has equally established Human Rights Desk offices in all Nigerian Army formations for speedy attention to human rights allegations.
Interestingly, the Nigerian Army has taken the initiative to constructively engage the media to facilitate a more informed reportage of crisis, especially insurgency-related stories. In this connection, it has organized several interface dialogues to examine/resolve potential friction with the media in carrying out both institution’s constitutional roles. Not surprisingly, this strategic approach, though not yet perfected, is paying off.
In the Army-Media summits, a humorous Buratai may have been at least once tempted to quote the famous General Douglas MacArthur, to rein in the more exuberant pen pushers. MacArthur once held that, “Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.” But he wisely refrained. Rather, he had better gratitude to express to his Commander-in-Chief and Mr. President, Muhahhadu Buhari, for his support to the Nigerian Armed Forces in general and to the Nigerian Army in particular and appropriately pledged a total commitment to the defense of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Going forward, it’s clear that the vision of the COAS to fundamentally change the insurgency story in Nigeria and ensure that citizens live their lives in a safe, stable environment is being noted by the top echelon of the nation’s political leadership.
Aminu is an Abuja based journalist.
