By Ifeanyi Aigbedion
It was American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer, Helen Keller who said that “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
This is the new story of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) under General LEO Irabor.
Therefore, it was gladdening to see the new Chief of Army Staff, General Farouk Yahaya pay a courtesy visit to the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao at the Headquarters, Nigerian Air Force (HQ NAF), Abuja.
The COAS has also visited his Navy counterpart, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo at the Naval Headquarters.
The new COAS during the visits said the war against insurgency and armed banditry cannot be won by a single Service but rather, through a synergistic approach where all Services work in unison.
The Nigerian Airforce under Air Marshal Amao went further to express support for the new collaborative effort by giving as theme their 57th anniversary, “Enhancing Nigerian Air Force Airpower Capabilities For Effective Joint Operations in Response to Contemporary National Security Challenges”.
The CAS further disclosed that the service chiefs had agreed to subordinate themselves to the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) under the leadership of the CDS.
In the past, inadequacy in the level of cooperation among security agencies in the country (disharmony, lack of cooperation and synergy in operation and information management) led to serious negative impact not just on their operations but on the nation’s collective interest, most especially on national security and economy.
The role of the DHQ in this build up to a more coordinated partnership cannot be over-emphasized.
On assumption of office, the CDS harped on the need for synergy among the different arms of the AFN to tackle the different security challenges facing the country.
Speaking at Jaji, Kaduna State, when he declared open a three-week “Exercise Haske Biyu’’ (Operation Flash II) for Senior Course 43 at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), the CDS noted that the importance of collaboration between the military and other law enforcement agencies in defeating these threats cannot be over-emphasised.
During an interview with journalists, the CDS had said that strategies are not sacrosanct.
According to him “Of course, there are dynamics that we need to begin to look at, what needs to be reviewed, and that is precisely what we are doing currently. And we review various strategies and of course come up with new ones to be able to meet the demands of the current realities.”
It is hoped that with this new strategy of deepened collaboration, very soon Nigerians will begin to see more victories for our military against terrorists and other forms of criminality.
This is time for us to support the AFN, that their continued sacrifices will not be in vain.
Ifeanyi Aigbedion is Convener, Unity Advocacy Group (UAG)
