U.S Director of the African Center at the prestigious African Council in Washington, Dr Peter Pham said that Nigeria has failed time and again to effectively beat back the Boko Haram sect wreaking havoc across the country.



"Officials there have tried to shift the blame to Washington, claiming American policies have prevented Nigeria from acquiring the weapons needed to win the fight against extremism. But it turns out the real culprits may have been closer to home."

But Pham wasn’t so sure. Even if the Nigerian military had acquired the equipment outlined in Dasuki’s alleged phantom contracts, Pham said Nigeria’s poorly trained military might not have known what to do with it.

“You beat a military uprising by war fighting, and, quite simply, they don’t have a war-fighting military,” he said.

According to Buhari — the onetime military leader who beat out former President Goodluck Jonathan in March and took over the presidency in May — Dasuki awarded “phantom contracts” to buy a dozen helicopters, four fighter jets, bombs, and ammunition. None of the equipment or weapons were ever supplied to the military, and he said Dasuki pocketed the money.

Dasuki, the official who arrested Buhari when he was overthrown in a coup the first time he led Nigeria in 1985, has denied all charges.

Pham, an expert on international relations said Wednesday that “there is personal history between the two men.”

For Dasuki to have stolen $2 billion out of a relatively small defense budget would be “getting into an unconscionable amount of corruption,” Pham said.

“I’m not saying that means Sambo Dasuki is innocent, but I don’t believe in coincidences either,” he said.

Two billion dollars may sound like a lot, and for a defense budget of just $6 billion a year, it is.

But even if Dasuki did dip his fingers that deeply into the defense budget, tracking down what he allegedly took may be nothing more than a starting point. Buhari believes roughly $150 billion has been stolen from Nigeria by corrupt officials over the past decade.

In July, when he visited Washington to discuss the fight against Boko Haram, Buhari requested that U.S. President Barack Obama help track down the jaw-dropping amount of money allegedly stolen by corrupt officials. The need to hunt for that much in missing funds is “a testament to how badly Nigeria has been run,” Buhari said.

Pham said that where exactly the $150 billion figure came from is still not clear and, to a certain degree, Buhari is right to track down and hold accountable those who let corruption fester. But according to him, the dramatic crackdown on corruption is in some ways a distraction from addressing structural problems, including oil prices and the government’s failure to diversify its revenue streams.

“I fear that this is a populist substitute for addressing some issues that may be much more unpopular,” he said.

Just like Jonathan’s administration wanted a “magic bullet” to solve Boko Haram, Buhari’s can’t expect arresting a few corrupt officials to solve the root cause of the problem.

Last November, then-Nigerian ambassador to the U.S. Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye called on the United States to provide more military assistance for the fight against Boko Haram, claiming the United States was only allowing Nigeria to “deliver light jabs to the terrorists when what we need to give them is the killer punch.”

Four months later, roughly two weeks before Buhari ousted Jonathan in the country’s presidential election, top Nigerian military and intelligence officials visited Washington and again blasted the United States for not doing more to help Nigeria fight Boko Haram.

Rear Adm. Gabriel E. Okoi, then-Nigeria’s chief of defense intelligence, said at the time that Nigeria’s friends had “disappointed” them.

The officials were referencing the U.S. Leahy Law, which prevents the Pentagon from providing arms to militaries that have committed egregious human rights violations. Last year, the United States also blocked the sale of an Apache helicopter from Israel, claiming Nigeria did not know how to use the equipment, which further angered officials there.

Meanwhile, Femi Adesina, an advisor to Buhari, seemed to pivot from the American blame game last week, saying instead that if the money allegedly stolen by Dasuki had been spent the way it was intended, “thousands of needless Nigerian deaths would have been avoided.”



J. Peter Pham is Director of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC. He previously held an academic appointment as tenured Associate Professor of Justice Studies, Political Science, and Africana Studies at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

An expert on international relations and strategic issues, with particular concentrations on U.S. foreign and defense policy, African politics and security, terrorism and political violence, and religion and global politics, Dr. Pham has authored of over 300 essays and reviews and is the author, editor, or translator of over a dozen books on these topics. He is frequently invited to testify before the United States Congress and brief senior administration officials and has also served as an adviser to the United Nations, foreign governments, and multinational corporations.

http://www.persecondnews.com/index.php/component/k2/item/5036-nigeria-lacks-war-fighting-military-us-defense-expert-says-buhari-playing-the-blame-game

Have US ever said anything good about us¿¿¿ Dem weh get better one, what have they done to ISIS

Those US sef who create dem ...ILalala

It's a known fact.
The only time nigeria ever fought effectively against boko haram was when the NA was led by an igbo man.


Na dx same lazy NA armies wan fight Biafrans?
I laugh at y'all Zoogerians

dulllard

erunz:
U.S Director of the African Center at the prestigious African Council in Washington, Dr Peter Pham said that Nigeria has failed time and again to effectively beat back the Boko Haram sect wreaking havoc across the country.



"Officials there have tried to shift the blame to Washington, claiming American policies have prevented Nigeria from acquiring the weapons needed to win the fight against extremism. But it turns out the real culprits may have been closer to home."

But Pham wasn’t so sure. Even if the Nigerian military had acquired the equipment outlined in Dasuki’s alleged phantom contracts, Pham said Nigeria’s poorly trained military might not have known what to do with it.

“You beat a military uprising by war fighting, and, quite simply, they don’t have a war-fighting military,” he said.

According to Buhari — the onetime military leader who beat out former President Goodluck Jonathan in March and took over the presidency in May — Dasuki awarded “phantom contracts” to buy a dozen helicopters, four fighter jets, bombs, and ammunition. None of the equipment or weapons were ever supplied to the military, and he said Dasuki pocketed the money.

Dasuki, the official who arrested Buhari when he was overthrown in a coup the first time he led Nigeria in 1985, has denied all charges.

Pham, an expert on international relations said Wednesday that “there is personal history between the two men.”

For Dasuki to have stolen $2 billion out of a relatively small defense budget would be “getting into an unconscionable amount of corruption,” Pham said.

“I’m not saying that means Sambo Dasuki is innocent, but I don’t believe in coincidences either,” he said.

Two billion dollars may sound like a lot, and for a defense budget of just $6 billion a year, it is.

But even if Dasuki did dip his fingers that deeply into the defense budget, tracking down what he allegedly took may be nothing more than a starting point. Buhari believes roughly $150 billion has been stolen from Nigeria by corrupt officials over the past decade.

In July, when he visited Washington to discuss the fight against Boko Haram, Buhari requested that U.S. President Barack Obama help track down the jaw-dropping amount of money allegedly stolen by corrupt officials. The need to hunt for that much in missing funds is “a testament to how badly Nigeria has been run,” Buhari said.

Pham said that where exactly the $150 billion figure came from is still not clear and, to a certain degree, Buhari is right to track down and hold accountable those who let corruption fester. But according to him, the dramatic crackdown on corruption is in some ways a distraction from addressing structural problems, including oil prices and the government’s failure to diversify its revenue streams.

“I fear that this is a populist substitute for addressing some issues that may be much more unpopular,” he said.

Just like Jonathan’s administration wanted a “magic bullet” to solve Boko Haram, Buhari’s can’t expect arresting a few corrupt officials to solve the root cause of the problem.

Last November, then-Nigerian ambassador to the U.S. Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye called on the United States to provide more military assistance for the fight against Boko Haram, claiming the United States was only allowing Nigeria to “deliver light jabs to the terrorists when what we need to give them is the killer punch.”

Four months later, roughly two weeks before Buhari ousted Jonathan in the country’s presidential election, top Nigerian military and intelligence officials visited Washington and again blasted the United States for not doing more to help Nigeria fight Boko Haram.

Rear Adm. Gabriel E. Okoi, then-Nigeria’s chief of defense intelligence, said at the time that Nigeria’s friends had “disappointed” them.

The officials were referencing the U.S. Leahy Law, which prevents the Pentagon from providing arms to militaries that have committed egregious human rights violations. Last year, the United States also blocked the sale of an Apache helicopter from Israel, claiming Nigeria did not know how to use the equipment, which further angered officials there.

Meanwhile, Femi Adesina, an advisor to Buhari, seemed to pivot from the American blame game last week, saying instead that if the money allegedly stolen by Dasuki had been spent the way it was intended, “thousands of needless Nigerian deaths would have been avoided.”



J. Peter Pham is Director of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC. He previously held an academic appointment as tenured Associate Professor of Justice Studies, Political Science, and Africana Studies at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

An expert on international relations and strategic issues, with particular concentrations on U.S. foreign and defense policy, African politics and security, terrorism and political violence, and religion and global politics, Dr. Pham has authored of over 300 essays and reviews and is the author, editor, or translator of over a dozen books on these topics. He is frequently invited to testify before the United States Congress and brief senior administration officials and has also served as an adviser to the United Nations, foreign governments, and multinational corporations.

http://www.persecondnews.com/index.php/component/k2/item/5036-nigeria-lacks-war-fighting-military-us-defense-expert-says-buhari-playing-the-blame-game

We know this all these while .. Thanks USA for reminding us


Tribalism killed army since 1970

benedictnsi:
Have US ever said anything good about us¿¿¿ Dem weh get better one, what have they done to ISIS

How many good about us have we portrayed ?

Yoloba alamajiris be like: "But we have big military and a strong general na "

tonychristopher:


How many good about us have we portrayed ?

Many...... You sef know na..... We d travel we get crude but we no get fuel our minister for Petroleum no even care... and some other goodies

I wonder what the soldiers 4rm Nigeria that participated in peacekeeping UN. Missions are called if not standard fighting soldier that received great reviews. The United States of Armedrobbers will always try to cer its stinking ass.

benedictnsi:



Many...... You sef know na..... We d travel we get crude but we no get fuel our minister for Petroleum no even care... and some other goodies

Now you are talking

NAIJASOM:
In other words, the U.S. Is saying that Nigerian military is useless. And they want to fight biafrans. I hope these jokers are not hoping on Egypt, Russia, or UK to fight another war for them. All those countries don't give a damn about Nigeria anymore. This is not 1967.

These countries you mentioned are busy fighting their own wars


Nigeria is on her own

an army that is specialised in killing unarmed protesters cant fight a war. Case in point Bokoharam.

Late Yar'Adua would have handled the issue better than Jonathan

If Only Nigeria can drop one bomb on US Command Centre they wont be ridiculing us again....... Mitcheeeww