RE: INSURGENCY, SECCESSIONISM AND BANDITRY THREATEN NIGERIA

The Nigerian army deserves praise, reckons Gbenga Adesanya

The Economist, the London-based news magazine, crows on its website: “Ïf it matters in our world we cover it and cover it well.” In some ways, the newspaper is well-served with a coterie of correspondents which enhances its news coverage and in many respect, astute commentary. But its recent editorial titled, “Insurgency, Seccessionism and Banditry Threaten Nigeria”, published in 23 October 2021 edition, was jaundiced, bellicose, full of discrepancies, and therefore, misleading. It was an adversarial and a most unedifying journalistic adventure. The piece was crafted with one motive in mind: to vilify and rubbish the image, character and reputational standing of the Nigerian Army, and more, to denigrate, demonize and destabilize the Nigerian government. It is evident some false intelligence was used to portray the Nigerian Army and indeed, the government of Nigeria. Most of the information in the piece was second-hand, and like most Western reports on Africa, coloured, filtered through prejudiced individuals and lenses. It is little wonder that many Nigerians scoffed at the report.

Even though not a military expert, l live in Nigeria and have a fair knowledge of what is happening around me. Through what I have seen, heard, experienced, I can come to some reasonable conclusions about the Nigerian military and more. So, I ask: How did The Economist come to its conclusions? The Nigerian army I know is widely acclaimed and globally respected. It is a professional, hard-fighting and globally respected institution that has continued to occupy deserved position in the comity of global defence forces. Indeed, how is it imaginable that the Nigerian Army that has distinguished itself as a worthy contributor to global peace and security through regional, continental and international peace keeping and peace support operations be characterized as “Mighty on paper”? How can the Nigerian Army that has restored democracies, brought peace to troubled lands and stabilized the West African sub-region through dint of hard work, commitment to duty, discipline and professionalism be so denigrated?

Again, I ask: How did the newspaper come to this conclusion? Is it the ‘ghost soldiers’ of the Nigerian Army that have weathered the storm of terrorism and insurgency of Boko Haram and its factional but rugged Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) in the north eastern part of the country and parts of the Lake Chad region? Is it not curious that an otherwise respected international magazine could so easily be sucked in by the antics of conflict merchants and agents provocateurs who are evidently uncomfortable with the steadfastness, patriotism, commitment, and resoluteness of the Nigerian Army in stamping out terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes assailing the country and the West African sub-region?

To so characterize one of the most powerful military in Africa and indeed in the world as “mighty on paper” is not only unfortunate, but patently dishonest. How do you regard a military respected internationally and ranked third most powerful force in Africa as “Mighty on paper?” Indeed, the 2018 and 2019 Global Military Strength ranked the Nigerian military as number 43, ahead of Belgium, Portugal, Cuba and elsewhere. The military have a capacious and capable personnel, and with more than half a million manpower that could be mobilized at short notice. In the last three years alone, the military purchased more than 30 aircraft in addition to the 12 Tukano fighter jets recently delivered from the United States to help quicken and eventually bring the brutal Boko Haram insurgency to an end. Besides, the military have long prioritized the welfare of the troops, and ensured that allowances for soldiers on the battlefield went directly into their account to avoid the issue of being short changed.

There is no disputing the fact that the war on the brutal Boko Haram insurgents and its splinter group, ISWAP, is an unusual conflict. It is a war on terror, not a conventional war where all weapons are arrayed against a fixed enemy. Even so, it is now clear that the military are on the mop up stage, taking concrete steps to stamp out the extreme insurgents, terrorists, bandits of all hues wherever they are in Nigeria. Through many of its military operations like Operation Safe Haven, Operation Hadarin Daji to Hadin Kai, the Nigerian Army has been repositioned to professionally defeat and decisively root out the terrorists and all adversaries from their enclaves.

This is why I must commend, like many other Nigerians, our military for the critical role they have played in the fight against Boko Haram and in making sacrifices on behalf of the nation. They need all the support to rid the nation of terrorism and all related crimes.

It is perhaps noteworthy that even beyond its core constitutional responsibility of protecting the nation from the Sahel to the rainforest, the army also finds time to attend to other needs of the society and impact their immediate communities. Indeed, the Army has been in the forefront of several development projects, particularly in the Northeast, the heart of the insurgency. Due to their leadership strategic thought process, and understanding clearly the need to have the support of the local community in winning the fight against the terrorists, the Nigeria Army has been at the forefront of several developmental projects in the northeast region and beyond: rebuilding roads damaged by Boko Haram insurgents, rebuilding bombed bridges, helping with resettling Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) back into their communities, and more. I find these noble and admirable.

The Economist said that the army is overstretched. That may be so in some aspects, but Nigerians are not complaining. In fact, in the absence of the army’s yeoman’s interventions across the country, many Nigerians would find it difficult to go about their day-to-day activities.

The Nigerian Army has fought a good fight, has decimated the terrorists, recovered lost territories, and has almost wrapped up the war. The internally displaced persons, even in the foremost outpost of the insurgency in Borno State, are returning home. The Army deserves praise, not an insult!