By Omoba Kenneth Aigbegbele

Since assumption of office the incumbent Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, has re-invigorated and enhanced the internal working mechanisms of the Nigerian Army like never before, inspiring men and officers alike to professionally give allegiance, patriotism and loyalty to the country. As the country basks in the euphoria of yet another independence celebration, it is pertinent to take stock of one of the oldest military institutions in the country and how far it has fared in spite of the enormous challenges of the 21st century - terrorism, kidnappings, herdsmen/farmers’ clashes, oil pipelines vandalism, cultism, among others.

Under the present leadership of Lt. Gen Buratai, Nigerians have severally praised and commended the army with high approval ratings in terms of professionalism, rule of law, welfare, training provisions of officers, military strategies adopted against insurgency and the institutional capacity building currently taking place including the transparent dogged, innovative and dynamic leadership in the administration of the army.

Though not without its challenges, the Army has also come to terms with the use of sophisticated weapons and accoutrements to fight today’s terrorism, the use of intelligence gathering mechanism from social media and other internet facilities to gather information, hard-wares and weaponry and the shortage of manpower have never been so easy.

But when the current COAS took over the mantle of leadership with the plethora of challenges facing him, he went straight to work by dismantling and decimating the ferocity of the Boko Haram insurgency, reduced criminalities across the country including the herdsmen clashes with farmers by looking inwards to see what have been left undone for decades by his predecessors, and taking them head-on.

First and foremost, the internal working mechanism of doing things was changed from the former to the new where ‘change’ management became the order of the day. In terms of contract specifications and the purchase of military hardware, the Ministry of Defence is wholly in charge of dealing with the manufacturers directly. Human capital development has become the front burner of its cardinal focus as training and retraining are now the order of the day. A lot of military officers now go on courses even beyond our shores to expand their capacity and scope. Improved conditions of work, office environment, welfare policies and the rehabilitation of the barracks across the country are also another major focus of the current leadership. Since the COAS came on board a lot of new barracks have been built and commissioned while the ones that needed rehabilitation have been revamped. In order to conform to the best global practices, a new set of commands, battalions, brigades and departments has been established to keep with the latest development of doing things. Such as the creation of legal department, human rights desk, civil-military affairs, department of procurement, among others, all in a bid to run an efficient and transparent Army of the 21st Century and cater for today’s challenges. This set of departments is today responsible for the smooth running and civil-military relationship enjoyed by Nigerians and the respect for human rights and other standards of engagements have been entrenched.

Consequently, the high espirit de corps enjoyed by men and officers of the Army since its 150 years of establishment is unrivaled, as Buratai’s preaching of peace, professionalism and submission to democratic ethos is now the agenda on every soldier’s heart. The morale is very high as the welfare of the soldiers is very important according to the COAS’ blue-print. The promotion of ranks and file, the postings and those at the war-front is also of major concern to the Army leadership.

The incentives of adequate payment of salaries and allowances has added to the much needed impetus to the fight against insurgents and had also strengthened the resolve of soldiers by creating adequate contingency plans to treat wounded soldiers, rehabilitate and reward them, including compensating the families left behind by soldiers that had lost their lives in battle-fronts.

Under the COAS’ pragmatic leadership, funds meant for procurement, feeding, medicines and the payment of allowances for soldiers had being judiciously disbursed, while it is note-worthy to also say that the General has compelled every officer serving to declare assets with Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Army now has a yearly auditing of its financial accounts, for transparency and accountability to keep pace with best practices across the globe.

Little wonder, the Army has won several laurels and awards to its name numerously, among them are: ‘Best Army Defence Agency,’ the ‘African of the Year Award’, the ‘Man of the Month award,’ the ‘Brazilian Military Order of Merit,’ and the ‘Most Distinguished Chief of Army Staff of the Decade,’ and others too numerous to mention.

The proactive decision making of the COAS has in a long way assisted to keep the Nigerian army on track like never before, in the securing of the territorial integrity of the nation and on issues of national unity and peaceful coexistence. The routine exercises carried out across the country have made Nigerians proud of the Army’s determination to sustain its constitutional role of defending the nation, as well as its commitment to aid the civil authority to bring about peace in the entire country.

These routine exercises which have become more expedient due to the mindless assassinations, theft of weaponry, kidnappings, cultism and violent agitations across the country, as well as, other security challenges that have become prevalent, have been nipped in the bud by the different operations across the length and breadth of the country. The original purpose and aim of carrying out these exercises is to train and sharpen the operational skills of personnel, as well as providing an avenue to conduct operations against violent criminals and agitations when called upon. Such operations carried out includes: Operation Lafia Dole, Operation Delta Safe (Op Pulu Shield), Operation Safe Haven, Operation Safe Conduct, Operation MESA, Operation Iron Fence, Operation Sharan Daji, Operation Safe Corridor, and Operation Egwu Eke II, all in a bid to keep Nigeria safe and secure for economic prosperity. Nigerians will agree that these patriotic operations have assisted in curtailing criminality across the country and dousing tension in the polity; a novel idea indeed by the COAS!

Nevertheless, the military hardware has been vigorously pursued by the COAS with the support of the President, as a lot of weapons and arms have been bought for the Nigerian Army so as to contain insurgency, boost the morale of the soldiers and enhance their ability of weapons handling and usage as in developed countries. The dress code of the soldiers and other paraphernalia given to them freely has been improved.

The COAS has re-invigorated and re-branded the yearly and quarterly military exercises and drills conducted in most army ranges for fire arms display, competition and shooting to enhance the handling of weapons and skills of the soldiers. These drills have assisted the army to keep tab with up-to-date drills and exercises so as to boost their confidence and learn new techniques while the best battalion and brigades are rightly rewarded for their performances.

It is also note-worthy, to mention that the Army has intermittently embarked on medical treatments of ailing Nigerians in war-torn communities and internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). A lot of sick Nigerians have benefited enormously from the free medical services and distribution of drugs, all funded by the Army across all the regions that have been affected by violence from herdsmen, Boko Haram or places where military exercises are carried out. While in such places, also roads, infrastructure including electricity have been built by the army as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Just recently, the army medical corps at the South East distributed and engaged in free medical outreach to people within the zone, repaired roads and schools across the region while the exercise lasted. Over 5,000 people benefited during the flag-off of the free medical treatment in both Ebonyi and Anambra State in spite of the mischief caused and fake news raised by traducers. This has renewed the thinking of the people despite their initial apprehension.

Howbeit, the Nigerian Army needs the support and cooperation of Nigerians just as Nigerians also need theirs, so as to better their relationship for the overall security and collective good of the nation. The current leadership of the Army is a key asset in this administration’s fight against corruption, insurgency and the safe-guard of goods and property and as such should be commended for modernizing, re-positioning and revolutionizing the Nigerian army for professionalism, respect for democracy and the effective service delivery in line with the current administration through dynamic and innovative military policy framework and structures that have kept the Nigerian Army abreast of development and challenges in the world. That the training and retraining of officers has stood the Nigerian Army out while enhanced collaboration with sister security agencies, robust civil-military relationships have endeared the army to Nigerians and indeed the world over.

At a recent function, precisely at commissioning of a human rights desk in Borno State, the COAS, Lt. Gen. TY Buratai, charged the Nigerian soldiers saying: “It is just yesterday that President Muhammadu Buhari visited here to celebrate the Independence Day with us to boost our morale. That visit of the President has rekindled our will to do our best to restore peace in the North-East and other parts of the country. I charge you to remain loyal and reciprocate the gesture of the President, who has been equipping and supporting our operations’’.

Omoba Kenneth Aigbegbele, is of Citizens Watch Nigeria (CWN), National Co-ordinator, Nigerian Royalty Awards (NRA) and President, COCMEGG.

He is also a 'rogwe' with mansions in dubai