Nigeria’s Military Needs Reforms

By Oluwagbenga Oyebanji

The first military intervention in Nigeria was through a bloody coup.  Led  by Major Kaduna Nzeogwu on 15 January, 1966 about six years after independence, the coup was expected to end corruption, tribalism, nepotism and political crisis in south-west but it was frustrated  by senior military officers. The coup later snowballed into a war due to the countercoup in the same year. Nigeria’s military is respected in the continent and beyond. If so, how could Boko Haram an Islamic group with little military education engage the mighty Nigeria’s military this long?

The professionalism of Nigerian military has been questioned by five successful coups,  four abortive coups,  and three alleged coups. What were the reasons for all these coups? The first coup in January 1966 showed the political motivation of the military, which showed the weak formation of the military force inherited from the British in  1960. The military was structured along tribal, religious and political lines. The counter coup of 29 July, 1966 had great ethnic and tribal undertone, the consequence was Biafra war of 30 months which led to the death of thousands.

The military setup in Nigeria is not structured towards technological  warfare, research and development, economic advancement, science and space technology. The primary objective of a professional  military is to have a policy that is directed at protecting the nation from internal and external  aggression, protecting the sovereignty of the nation, and contributing to the economic advancement of the nation.

The 1999 Constitution, section 127 subsection 1, 2, 3 clearly empowers the Armed Forces of the federation to defend the nation against external aggression but failed to mention internal aggression.  Subsection 2b, clearly speaks about territorial integrity, 2c clearly stipulates about suppressing insurrection. The Boko Haram dilemma is internal aggression and  not insurrection, their operation was fueled by the fall of Ghadafi, which brought about arms proliferation in the Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa. The aggression of Boko Haram is a problem that was not envisaged. The Armed Forces have been declaring pyrrhic victory against Boko Haram, the war against the Islamic sect is a deuce.

Thus the operation of the military needs to be reformed towards improved strategy, tactics and meeting political and military objectives. The 21st century military warfare is won through technology, strategic  and tactical manoeuvres. What is the strategy of the Armed forces in defeating Boko Haram?  The strategy is weak,  it lacks proper coordination and proper  civil-military information dissemination. Most times information are given without verificaton.

Intelligence and information gathering is a strategy the Armed forces must use to optimize their operations. During the second world war, the allied forces  headed by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower deceived the Germans regarding the point of invasion, collected intelligence on the disposition and operations of German forces before launching  “Operation Overload.” Intelligence gathering is still the surest operational strategy to win the war against the Islamic sect. What and where  is  Boko Haram’s stronghold? What is their operational strategy against the territorial integrity of the nation? These are questions that should be on the lips of our military chiefs and political class. The sect uses  kidnapping of defenceless civilians, attacking rural villages that lack security networks, using dogma in luring young and unemployed youths as suicide bombers, attacking police and military barracks that lack equipment and up-to date ammunition.The Boko Haram stronghold is North-eastern Nigeria and all the states that share borders with Niger, Chad and Northern Cameroon. Due to the porous border, it is easy for the sect to smuggle arms and weaponry to Nigeria. If the military are to win the war against the sect because it is an internal aggression against the territorial integrity of the nation, information dissemination must be part of the strategy and tactics the military must use. The media should be an ally of the military in winning this war. Intelligence gathering must be all inclusive in the strategy because the natives understand the routes and operations of the sect. Defensive-offensive attack is the quickest way to restore the territorial integrity of the nation. The Armed forces need to fight the war from people’s point of view. During Biafran war there was a slogan in the lips of all Nigerians: “GOWON, Go On With One Nigeria.”

There  should be a  slogan that  Nigerians can connect to, there should be a thoroughly trained military media & public relations team that understands war information dissemination strategy. During world war 11, Adolf Hilter was using censorship and propaganda in making the war the German war. That is how powerful information is during the war. It looks soft but it is potent. The Armed forces must be trained and equipped with  state of the art weapons. The Biafra war did not take this long before it was brought to an end. The political parties should not toy with the security and integrity of the nation. This is not the time to play politics but to formulate policies to win the war. Whether it is APC or PDP, winning the war should be an anthem on the lips of all.

Nigeria needs to reform the Armed forces to meet the realities of our integration as a nation. The internet was a military discovery in 1957 by Gen. Dwight Eisenhower who was the president of USA. He also established NASA, It was this agency that  hastened the Apollo-moon landing mission. This is the path to tread in the 21st century. The contribution of the military should be the foundation of our unity. The war can never be won without taking into the equation the internally displaced Nigerians, they must be rehabilitated,  reorientated  and  reintegrated.  Above, all the Nigerian’s economy should be a major focus by our politicians because poverty is the root cause  of Boko Haram.

•Oyebanji is Publisher/motivational speaker. Email:[email protected]. •Twitter handle: @oluwagbenga6