₦airaland Forum

buygala:
So many military Generals, yet so much insecurity in the land

One is then left to ponder how and what these men did to merit being appointed Generals in the 1st place

One would think that for one to be appointed a General in the army, he has to have consistently proven himself in battle and also led men who have consistently proven themselves in battle...

And if so many men have consistently proven themselves in battle/battle leadership to warrant being appointed Generals in the Army, what's with all the Bello Turjis and other bandits still roaming around?

SatoshiX:
Ask yourself are there many igbos in the Army to start with? The other time, Frank Mba had to hurriedly promoted from ACP till he gets to DIG just to fill in the SE gap at the top of the Police ranking.
Even during the last recruitment exercise, one of the SE governors came out to complain about the low show of interest by his people.
So who do we blame? The institution or your people? Look in the mirror for the answer

DeltaOil:
Lets be sincere , the army never really promotes Igbos.
If they do they give them useless posts.

Since Igbos are not liked, why do people want them in the same country?

Edoreborn:
Play,,,play ds thing don dey reach 48RC,,o boi how time flies.. Congrats oga jimoh

InfoGuru118:
https://news360ng.com/army-reshuffles-commanders-appoints-new-chiefs-of-logistics-intelligence-training/

QuinModah:
It’s easy to look at the insecurity around us and assume the military generals are incompetent or unworthy of their ranks. But the truth is, becoming a general is not always about being on the frontlines fighting bandits like Bello Turji. Modern armies don’t work that way anymore. By the time an officer reaches the rank of general, he’s usually in his late 40s or 50s and has spent decades rising through the system—leading operations, training soldiers, studying strategy, and coordinating logistics.

Nigeria’s insecurity problem isn’t just a “military” issue. Banditry thrives because of weak governance, poverty, corruption, porous borders, and sometimes even local collaboration with criminals. Generals may plan and authorize operations, but without intelligence, political will, and community cooperation, those plans can fail.

So while it’s fair to demand accountability, it’s also unfair to assume these men did nothing to merit their stars. Some have risked their lives in international peacekeeping missions, others have led battalions that successfully pushed back insurgents. The insecurity challenge is deeper than just “bad generals”—it’s a mix of politics, resources, and a broken system that even the most decorated general alone cannot fix.

mamaafrik:
It's like baba is learning from GEJ's err and balancing status along the enemies line.

I see trembling in the terrorist camps.

QuinModah:
It’s easy to look at the insecurity around us and assume the military generals are incompetent or unworthy of their ranks. But the truth is, becoming a general is not always about being on the frontlines fighting bandits like Bello Turji. Modern armies don’t work that way anymore. By the time an officer reaches the rank of general, he’s usually in his late 40s or 50s and has spent decades rising through the system—leading operations, training soldiers, studying strategy, and coordinating logistics.

Nigeria’s insecurity problem isn’t just a “military” issue. Banditry thrives because of weak governance, poverty, corruption, porous borders, and sometimes even local collaboration with criminals. Generals may plan and authorize operations, but without intelligence, political will, and community cooperation, those plans can fail.

So while it’s fair to demand accountability, it’s also unfair to assume these men did nothing to merit their stars. Some have risked their lives in international peacekeeping missions, others have led battalions that successfully pushed back insurgents. The insecurity challenge is deeper than just “bad generals”—it’s a mix of politics, resources, and a broken system that even the most decorated general alone cannot fix.

mamaafrik:
It's like baba is learning from GEJ's err and balancing status along the enemies line.

I see trembling in the terrorist camps.

SatoshiX:
Ask yourself are there many igbos in the Army to start with? The other time, Frank Mba had to hurriedly promoted from ACP till he gets to DIG just to fill in the SE gap at the top of the Police ranking.
Even during the last recruitment exercise, one of the SE governors came out to complain about the low show of interest by his people.
So who do we blame? The institution or your people? Look in the mirror for the answer

Dalohad:
I think Nigeria has the highest number Generals without any form of combat experience whatsoever.

When I was trained in military-owned high school, we called them 'Woman soldiers' or 'Office soldiers'.

During IBB and Abacha regime, for you to attain the rank of 'General' at any level, you must have combat experience. Heck, we even had cadet boys in JSS1 sleeping in bushes to toughen them.

Nowadays, half of our 'Generals', have pot potbellies. Some can't even run for a 50 meters dash without panting like a dog on heat.

We need a tougher military. If you have a Potbelly, you should retire immediately.

anonimi:
The terrorists’ camp in the southeast corner of the country, since they are the only people who have criminals in their midst

JuanDeDios:
You have to give it to the Army, when it comes to national distribution of important positions, they're fairer than Tinubu.

Drefaithful:
Definitely, they will have to grow, but mind you Gen Jimoh in question is 47RC not 48.

Thank you.

buygala:
Very aptly conveyed


But I still stand on my opinion that this proliferation of the General Rank in our armed forces when juxtaposed with the current security challenges in our country, is in sour taste ...

When you say "leading operations, training soldiers, studying strategy, and coordinating logistics", isn't all that supposed to be toward the goal of securing the nation?..when that lone goal fails, can these men be said to have performed their duties optimally to warrant such rank?

Per your passing the buck to the political class, locals' collaboration, etc...I am yet to hear or see any serving General officer complain about the political class...it's always the other rank/junior officers who complain about these issues, and end up getting court-martialed by these same General officers...

This raises the presumption that these senior officers see nothing wrong with the political class, and that's why they are quick to court-martial dissenting soldiers...and if there is nothing interference with military operations from the political class as these senior officers will have us believe, can we in all honesty say that locals, etc are capable of hindering a capable and politically independent military from performing its functions?

If politicians are interfering with military operations, I repeat, why are senior ranks quiet about it, and even go to the extent of intimidating junior ranks who voice out dissent on such grounds?

I still maintain that General Rank should not be granted as a matter of course due to age courses undergone, etc...And I also fail to understand why a Nigerian solder should be promoted for "international peacekeeping" operations when local peacekeeping is elusive...

I would suppose that Charity should begin at home no?....If bandits and terrorists are annexing parts of Nigeria, on what basis do we have soldiers who are keeping international Peace when local peace is elusive?

Being part of the General staff means that such person has had an outstanding military career...so how can so many men have outstanding military careers when we have outstanding security challenges?

Dalohad:
I think Nigeria has the highest number Generals without any form of combat experience whatsoever.

When I was trained in military-owned high school, we called them 'Woman soldiers' or 'Office soldiers'.

During IBB and Abacha regime, for you to attain the rank of 'General' at any level, you must have combat experience. Heck, we even had cadet boys in JSS1 sleeping in bushes to toughen them.

Nowadays, half of our 'Generals', have pot potbellies. Some can't even run for a 50 meters dash without panting like a dog on heat.

We need a tougher military. If you have a Potbelly, you should retire immediately.

SatoshiX:
Ask yourself are there many igbos in the Army to start with? The other time, Frank Mba had to hurriedly promoted from ACP till he gets to DIG just to fill in the SE gap at the top of the Police ranking.
Even during the last recruitment exercise, one of the SE governors came out to complain about the low show of interest by his people.
So who do we blame? The institution or your people? Look in the mirror for the answer

mamaafrik:
Na you know wetin you dey yapppp

FLASHBACK: Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola narrating the life of Tinubu years ago. #Ayederu (Counterfeit)pic.twitter.com/xr40gXe9Qx

— ayemojubar 🫆 (@ayemojubar) June 26, 2022

Edoreborn:
He is 48RC morgeese..I don't know if there any Jimoh 47rc,,but i know d short one in Mogadishu bn thse days when men were boys..

U gerrit,,if u don't,, forget about it

Drefaithful:
Try to get your fact right, i know the Jimoh you are talking about, in fact let me burst your brain. Two of them are villages. but the one in question is 47RC. I would have helped you with the initial of that your Jimoh.

FLASHBACK: Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola narrating the life of Tinubu years ago. #Ayederu (Counterfeit)pic.twitter.com/xr40gXe9Qx

— ayemojubar 🫆 (@ayemojubar) June 26, 2022

buygala:
So many military Generals, yet so much insecurity in the land

One is then left to ponder how and what these men did to merit being appointed Generals in the 1st place

One would think that for one to be appointed a General in the army, he has to have consistently proven himself in battle and also led men who have consistently proven themselves in battle...

And if so many men have consistently proven themselves in battle/battle leadership to warrant being appointed Generals in the Army, what's with all the Bello Turjis and other bandits still roaming around?

QuinModah:
I get where your frustration is coming from, but let’s not oversimplify. It’s easy to look at the proliferation of generals and the insecurity in the land and conclude that both don’t add up, but the truth is more complicated.

First, promotions in the Nigerian military are not always pegged directly to battlefield victories. They’re often tied to years of service, successful command postings, military education (like NDC, DSSC, PSC+), and international experience. This is not peculiar to Nigeria. In the U.S. Army, for example, there are over 230 generals, yet America still struggled in Afghanistan for 20 years and eventually had to pull out in 2021, despite being the world’s most powerful military. The presence of generals doesn’t always translate to automatic battlefield success.

Second, the assumption that generals are silent because they don’t see anything wrong with politicians isn’t entirely accurate. In reality, Nigerian generals operate under the doctrine of civilian supremacy. Military men speaking publicly against the political class risks a return to military dictatorship, which Nigeria suffered for 29 out of its 64 years of independence. That’s why senior officers are cautious. Their silence is not always consent, it’s often institutional discipline.

Third, on local vs. international peacekeeping — you’re right that “charity should begin at home.” But international missions have been a strategic foreign policy tool for Nigeria since 1960. Through ECOMOG in Liberia and Sierra Leone, Nigeria spent over $8 billion and lost thousands of troops, but that gave the Nigerian military international credibility, secured influence in West Africa, and earned the country respect at the UN. This is partly why Nigeria is almost always on UN peacekeeping rosters anywhere in the world. It’s not just about charity — it’s about diplomacy and positioning.

Lastly, on whether generals can be said to have had “outstanding careers” despite insecurity, remember that Nigeria’s insecurity problem is not purely military. Terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping thrive because of weak policing, porous borders, poverty, unemployment, and poor governance. The military is overstretched; by 2023, Nigeria had only about 130,000 active troops policing a population of over 200 million, compared to Egypt with about 938,000 troops for 10 million people. Even the best-trained generals can’t completely solve a crisis that is rooted in socioeconomic rot.

So, yes — the frustration is valid. But blaming the generals alone ignores the bigger picture: underfunded security architecture (I can give examples here but I cannot), political interference (story for another day), and structural governance failures.

InfoGuru118:
The Nigerian Army on Sunday announced a major redeployment affecting its top hierarchy, including Principal Staff Officers (PSOs), General Officers Commanding (GOCs), Corps Commanders, Commandants of training institutions, and Brigade Commanders, News360 Nigeria reports.

The Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Lt.-Col. Appolonia Anele, confirmed the changes in a statement, noting that the redeployments were approved by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede.

According to her, Maj.-Gen. Adekunle Adeyinka has been appointed Chief of Logistics (Army), Maj.-Gen. A.A. Adekeye is now Chief of Personnel Management (Army), while Maj.-Gen. T.B. Ugiagbe takes charge as Chief of Standard and Evaluation.

She further disclosed that Maj.-Gen. A.A. Idris has been named Chief of Military Intelligence (Army) and Maj.-Gen. M.O. Erebulu appointed as Provost Marshal (Army). Other key postings include Maj.-Gen. E.A. Anaryu as Corps Commander, Supply and Transport, and Maj.-Gen. J.E. Osifo as Director-General, Nigerian Army Finance Corporation.

On foreign mission duties, Maj.-Gen. S.A. Akesode was deployed as Head of Mission, African Union Verification Mission in Tigray, Ethiopia.

For divisional commands, Maj.-Gen. A.S.M. Wase has been appointed GOC 1 Division/Commander Sector 1, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, while Maj.-Gen. C.R. Nnebeife is the new GOC 2 Division/Commander Sector 3, Operation FANSAN YAMMA.

Training institutions also recorded changes with Maj.-Gen. M.O. Ihanuwaze appointed Commandant, Nigerian Army Finance School; Maj.-Gen. K.O. Osemwegie to head the Army Signal School; Maj.-Gen. A.J. Aliyu at the Ordnance School; and Maj.-Gen. A.C. Adetoba taking over as Commandant, Nigerian Army College of Logistics and Management.

At the brigade level, Brig.-Gen. M. Jimoh now commands 1 Brigade, Brig.-Gen. N.E. Okoloagu is Commander, 2 Brigade, while Brig.-Gen. A.A. Bello assumes command of 6 Division Garrison/Sector 3, Operation DELTA SAFE.

Lt.-Gen. Oluyede, while charging the newly redeployed officers, urged them to intensify efforts in the fight against insurgency, terrorism, and other security threats. He assured that the welfare of troops remains a top priority under his leadership.
https://news360ng.com/army-reshuffles-commanders-appoints-new-chiefs-of-logistics-intelligence-training/

andersyn:
I didn’t know there were so many high ranking Edo soldiers. Congratulations to everyone