₦airaland Forum

MrGerald:
Stupidd talk by a kid, you guys are too tribalistic, do you have anything in Lagos? You can't do anything to one of the biggest stakeholders in Lagos or any Nigerian as the city belong to all.

Your eye go soon clear, we have moved beyond these tribalistic grammar. Do anyhow, see anyhow. When the time comes, that treatment you were given in south Africa will be like a child's play.

Pacesetter123:

My brother you have a point there that if he was still alive and maybe has opportunity to rule Nigeria again as a civilian,he may not had been as tough as he was during his military era just like Buhari turned out to be.

^^^


There you go.

Pacesetter123:
But the good thing is that he left the stage when the ovation was still loud howbeit through unforeseen circumstances.
So we measured his toughness and his ability to protect the territorial integrity of Nigeria and her citizens to the extent of his last day of military rule only and not what he would have done if he had transitioned to the civil rule since he never lived to be a civilian president for us to see.
So,we still hold him in high esteem in my place as regards what he did for us in terms of security.

^^^
In a sense, Sani Abacha and MKO Abiola are in the same whatsapp group. The supporters of both men always talk about 'what might have been'. I will repeat what I said earlier: would Sani Abacha have been able to stay the course? These matters are complex - we are talking about a dispute over a resource rich territory in which France (a nuclear power) was interested. There is no way of telling how it would have ended if Abacha had lived longer.

Pacesetter123:
Though weak and fear fear OBJ and Donald Duke later rubbished Abacha's hard and good work by freely handing over the oil reach peninsula for no public reason.

^^^
You do have a point here. Only OBJ can fully explain why he took the position he did.

Pacesetter123:
Then as for what his exit routes were if the was a full blown out war?It was a full blown out war already nah.
So,I want to answer you convincingly that his only planned exit routes was TOTAL VICTORY against the OCCUPIER.
BUT not for his untimely de@th, Nigeria military would have reclaimed beyond Bakassi up to Ubenekang,Ekondo and Idombi deep inside southern Cameroun within a year to act as a buffer zone.
When that full fledge war broke out,for your information,it didn't take Nigeria up to a year to capture all the villages in Bakassi ranging from the L.G hqtrs in Abana to Diamond,Okopedi,Ekeya,Ibekwe,etc that were already under the control of Cameroun despite the French military supports to them.And it was only one Division of the the Army that was deployed which was 13 Amphibious Brigade of Calabar.

^^^


Striking first doesn't guarantee victory. I'm sure you know that.

No one knows for sure how that whole business would have turned out over the long term. The Bakassi peninsula is a resource rich territory and both Camerounian eyes and french eyes were on it. If matters had escalated and it turned into a full blown conflict with air, land and naval military resources being fully deployed by all sides - are you sure you will be saying what you are saying now?

War is a grueling, destructive business. When Russia fully invaded Ukraine, some people correctly predicted that the war was going to last for several years. It was hard to believe then but they were right - that war has been on for over 4 years with terrible losses on both sides. And no end in sight.

The key question in the Bakassi story was the scale of french involvement. That was always the decider and the french hadn't really gone all in at the time. If they had, the outcomes may well have been very different - even if Abacha were still alive and in power till today.

Pacesetter123:
So don't underated Nigeria army capabilities.

Finally,are you serious you believe that the lingering Boko Haram insurgency has demystified Nigeria military capability?

^^^
I don't need to underrate or demystify them - they are doing those things to themselves.

It will soon be 20 years since this Boko Haram nonsense started - before rogue herdsmen joined in - and all we keep getting from these soldiers is one excuse after another.

Meanwhile...just last week, Nigerian soldiers in Osogbo who should have been gearing up for combat in Nigeria's many trouble spots went to Osun State University...and did what Nigerian soldiers do. Robbery, theft, sexual assault, battery etc. The university administrator was left in tears at the scale of wrongdoing. Up till now no action has been taken by the military authorities and the students/university authorities have been left to lick their wounds and pick up the pieces.

https://punchng.com/rampaging-soldiers-invade-uniosun-hostels-assault-students-seize-phones/

This is what the Nigerian army is known for. The worst kind of behaviour that would be unthinkable in a proper army fit for purpose. All we are waiting for now is a statement from the Nigerian army HQ that the perpetrators were unknown soldiers or some other nonsense like that.

This is who they are.

Pacesetter123:
Don't allow anybody to deceive you, right from Buhari time till date, nobody is fighting any Boko Haram anything and in anywhere in Nigeria.
All what you see is political.No war against any insurgency anywhere.
If Nigeria government really wants to fight Boko Haram,they cannot withstand Nigeria military for just 3 months.
In fact,they wouldn't have even used military, Police Mobile Force alone can wipe out the ragtag Boko Haram terrorists in just 6 months.How many days did it take Buhari as just a GOC to wipe out Cameroun military invaders and stopped their incursion in the Northern boarders in the early 80s?
He wasn't even the Head of State then..oo,a GOC in Maidugri.When he noticed President Shagari was doing semesme with the life of the citizens in the hands of foreign invaders,he moved in without waiting for approval from the presidency and almost enter inside the enemies territory in matter of days.
Abi you never hear am?
Then wetin come be Boko Haram?
Our leaders are just playing politics with it otherwise it will be PMF that will finish the job in few months.

^^^
No.

We keep hearing this talk about how great the Nigerian army is but the evidence doesn't support it. The world judges by results, not rhetoric.

I deal in facts and I will leave you with just one example but it is a crucial one:

School girls were kidnapped in the middle of the night from a secondary school in Kebbi last December. Sadly, two employees of the school were killed in the raid. After the abduction, the Kebbi state governor went on national TV to tell the world that his government had earlier received intel of an impending attack and soldiers had therefore been posted to guard the school. On the night of the attack, the soldiers were inexplicably withdrawn in the middle of the night - and within an hour of their withdrawal, the kidnappers struck.

Up till now, the military have not contradicted the Kebbi governor's claims and they have also not provided any info on who told the soldiers to stand down - and why. As far we are aware, only a military commander can give orders for men on guard duty to stand down. So who gave the order - and why?

These claims about 'civilians' and 'government' being responsible for the unbelievable security failures we are seeing - just doesn't add up. There are specific duties and responsibilities assigned to the military and those duties and responsibilities are just not being carried out.

The fantastic, gallant military you are all hyping simply doesn't exist.

Fujiyama:
^^^


There you go.



^^^
In a sense, Sani Abacha and MKO Abiola are in the same whatsapp group. The supporters of both men always talk about 'what might have been'. I will repeat what I said earlier: would Sani Abacha have been able to stay the course? These matters are complex - we are talking about a dispute over a resource rich territory in which France (a nuclear power) was interested. There is no way of telling how it would have ended if Abacha had lived longer.




^^^
You do have a point here. Only OBJ can fully explain why he took the position he did.



^^^


Striking first doesn't guarantee victory. I'm sure you know that.

No one knows for sure how that whole business would have turned out over the long term. The Bakassi peninsula is a resource rich territory and both Camerounian eyes and french eyes were on it. If matters had escalated and it turned into a full blown conflict with air, land and naval military resources being fully deployed by all sides - are you sure you will be saying what you are saying now?

War is a grueling, destructive business. When Russia fully invaded Ukraine, some people correctly predicted that the war was going to last for several years. It was hard to believe then but they were right - that war has been on for over 4 years with terrible losses on both sides. And no end in sight.

The key question in the Bakassi story was the scale of french involvement. That was always the decider and the french hadn't really gone all in at the time. If they had, the outcomes may well have been very different - even if Abacha were still alive and in power till today.




^^^
I don't need to underrate or demystify them - they are doing those things to themselves.

It will soon be 20 years since this Boko Haram nonsense started - before rogue herdsmen joined in - and all we keep getting from these soldiers is one excuse after another.

Meanwhile...just last week, Nigerian soldiers in Osogbo who should have been gearing up for combat in Nigeria's many trouble spots went to Osun State University...and did what Nigerian soldiers do. Robbery, theft, sexual assault, battery etc. The university administrator was left in tears at the scale of wrongdoing. Up till now no action has been taken by the military authorities and the students/university authorities have been left to lick their wounds and pick up the pieces.

https://punchng.com/rampaging-soldiers-invade-uniosun-hostels-assault-students-seize-phones/

This is what the Nigerian army is known for. The worst kind of behaviour that would be unthinkable in a proper army fit for purpose. All we are waiting for now is a statement from the Nigerian army HQ that the perpetrators were unknown soldiers or some other nonsense like that.

This is who they are.



^^^
No.

We keep hearing this talk about how great the Nigerian army is but the evidence doesn't support it. The world judges by results, not rhetoric.

I deal in facts and I will leave you with just one example but it is a crucial one:

School girls were kidnapped in the middle of the night from a secondary school in Kebbi last December. Sadly, two employees of the school were killed in the raid. After the abduction, the Kebbi state governor went on national TV to tell the world that his government had earlier received intel of an impending attack and soldiers had therefore been posted to guard the school. On the night of the attack, the soldiers were inexplicably withdrawn in the middle of the night - and within an hour of their withdrawal, the kidnappers struck.

Up till now, the military have not contradicted the Kebbi governor's claims and they have also not provided any info on who told the soldiers to stand down - and why. As far we are aware, only a military commander can give orders for men on guard duty to stand down. So who gave the order - and why?

These claims about 'civilians' and 'government' being responsible for the unbelievable security failures we are seeing - just doesn't add up. There are specific duties and responsibilities assigned to the military and those duties and responsibilities are just not being carried out.

The fantastic, gallant military you are all hyping simply doesn't exist.

Guy,why I find it interesting to engage you in this important national discourse is that you keep your conversation mature, civil and makes it issue based.Thats so commendable of you.

Now,back to the main issue,we are not hyping the Nigeria military as you said,rather, we are making a statement of fact based on their numerous exploits in various Int'l engagement.

Like I said earlier,the issue of festering insurgent in Nigeria is as a result of weak government.
I do not blame the soldiers in the field for it at all! I blame the president who is the commander-in-chief of the Armed forces.Give the command,and the soldiers in the field will carry it out.But when you refuse to give the command nobody will carry any action out.
Even our current Presido knows that the primary purpose of any government is security of life and property and that the power to do so is inherent in the office of the president.That was why it was reported that he told President Jonathan that; On the matter of security,the bulk stops at the president's table.
That he should stop giving excuses and rescue the Chibok girls or he resign.
But why hasn't he done so today?
Like you mentioned in your comment that the Kebbi state governor raises alarm that the military men who were deployed to guard the school said they received order to leave the place and the kidnapping took place few minutes later.
The question you should ask yourself should be,why is the president who is the C-in-C of the Armed Forces not set up an investigative panel to probe such a weighty allegations?
Why is he silent about it while the children suffered in the bush?
Let me give you an example why I said the terrorism wouldn't have lasted beyond a month if the FG was really interested in fighting it.
During Buhari's time,I think around 2022 or so.There was an Armed group in some section of Akwa Ibom that disturbed public peace.They burnt down police station and some security men that confronted them were unalived brutally.
It didn't take PMB anything to issue an order to the security forces to wipe out the group.
Air and ground forces were deployed on the order of the C-in-C.
The entire armed group camp was levelled by aerial bombardment within a day.
Civilian space wasn't spared in the process too.And within a month,the group wasn't heard of again till today.
The bombing am talking about took place in a L.G.A called Essien Udim which is the LGA that the present Senate President comes from.Still during that time, Buhari also ordered total aerial bombardment of a place called Olu in Imo State to get rid of ESN group.
But do you know that that was the same time Fulani Herdsmen massacred and sacked the entire community in Agatu LGA in Benue state and Buhari refused to order even boys scout to go after the killer herdsmen there?
And that Benue mass killinggg continue unabated till today with no military action ordered by the C-in-C?
So will you still blame the military in that case that the can't fight?
Also,a lot of military men were and are still being killedddd in Kebbi,Katsina, Borno,Niger ,Zamfara,in Short,in all the northern states.Have you seen the C-in-C issuing such command that they always gave if it happened in the South?
No! They haven't and won't probably because of Islamic religious sentiment,ethnic consideration in the case of Buhari and the selfish political interests of the power that be both passed and present under democratic rule.
This high level insecurity you are witnessing under democratic dispensation especially this present one CAN NEVER happen in the military era especially during the no-nonsense Abacha regime.But that is not to say we are saying military should come back to power.
No,that is not what we meant.
We are only stating the obvious that democratic government allows insurgency to fester for too long and claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens due to tribalism, nepotism, religious affiliation and the quest to ganner votes from the North by all means which can never be seen during the military era.
So,in conclusion,the Nigeria military capability is not in doubt at all.Though we do condemned them for their brutality against innocent civilians.But when it comes to military expedition,they are good.
If the FG government decide to end the menace of terrorism and banditry today today,it will end.But the government won't dare try it bcuz of the above stated factors.

damoobaba:
Your eye go soon clear, we have moved beyond these tribalistic grammar. Do anyhow, see anyhow. When the time comes, that treatment you were given in south Africa will be like a child's play.

LoL you can't do shishi, which, go to sa ur people full there and doing the same hustle you no know anything, most of the free airlines returning home na them full there u small boy.

Pacesetter123:
Guy,why I find it interesting to engage you in this important national discourse is that you keep your conversation mature, civil and makes it issue based.Thats so commendable of you.

^^^
It has been quite an exchange. You and I don't agree on quite a number of things but you have provided very valuable eye witness accounts on a number of things that affect us as a people. You have also kept the discussion issue-based and that's why I decided to engage you up to this point.

Pacesetter123:
Like I said earlier,the issue of festering insurgent in Nigeria is as a result of weak government.

^^^
This is true on both a general and specific level. The big question is: how is government failing and where do the responsibilities for those failures lie?

While in the end, BAT must assume overall responsibility for the failures of his administration, he isn't expected to wear khaki, grab a rifle and go confront BHT or rogue herdsmen in the forest. There are soldiers and other security people who have been assigned that specific responsibility - but they are failing to execute. So you see that there is the general failure of government (for which BAT must take overall responsibility) in providing security - and then there is failure in the field (for which the military commanders (plus rank and file) must take specific responsibility). As you can see, there is plenty of failure to go round but we must not lump everything together.

Pacesetter123:
I do not blame the soldiers in the field for it at all! I blame the president who is the commander-in-chief of the Armed forces.Give the command,and the soldiers in the field will carry it out.But when you refuse to give the command nobody will carry any action out.

Like you mentioned in your comment that the Kebbi state governor raises alarm that the military men who were deployed to guard the school said they received order to leave the place and the kidnapping took place few minutes later.
The question you should ask yourself should be,why is the president who is the C-in-C of the Armed Forces not set up an investigative panel to probe such a weighty allegations?

^^^
No.

I disagree very strongly.

Every state in Nigeria has a security council or committee or whatever they choose to call it. The state governor, Commissioner or Police, senior NSCDC commanders, senior military commanders etc. are all members of that council or committee. The Kebbi state security committee apparently did its job and the responsibility for carrying out its decision on intel received - was assigned to the military. The military then inexplicably decided to stand down in the middle of the night - and two men are dead because of this.

There is no reason why the military high command has not publicly responded to these allegations by the Kebbi state governor. No reason at all.

Yes, you do have a point: by now BAT should have set up a panel to probe the matter but Nigerians shouldn't have to wait for an investigative panel before the military authorities respond publicly to such grave allegations. We shouldn't have to wait!

The Kebbi governor has done his part and told Nigerians what happened. This is particularly important since he doesn't directly command any of the security forces. Nothing on this earth excuses the silence of the military on this matter. Nothing whatsoever.

The Kebbi situation was an open and shut case.

Pacesetter123:
Even our current Presido knows that the primary purpose of any government is security of life and property and that the power to do so is inherent in the office of the president.That was why it was reported that he told President Jonathan that; On the matter of security,the bulk stops at the president's table.
That he should stop giving excuses and rescue the Chibok girls or he resign.
But why hasn't he done so today?
Why is he silent about it while the children suffered in the bush?

^^^
These are valid questions.

No reasonable person would argue about this.

Pacesetter123:
Let me give you an example why I said the terrorism wouldn't have lasted beyond a month if the FG was really interested in fighting it.
During Buhari's time,I think around 2022 or so.There was an Armed group in some section of Akwa Ibom that disturbed public peace.They burnt down police station and some security men that confronted them were unalived brutally.
It didn't take PMB anything to issue an order to the security forces to wipe out the group.
Air and ground forces were deployed on the order of the C-in-C.
The entire armed group camp was levelled by aerial bombardment within a day.
Civilian space wasn't spared in the process too.And within a month,the group wasn't heard of again till today.
The bombing am talking about took place in a L.G.A called Essien Udim which is the LGA that the present Senate President comes from.Still during that time, Buhari also ordered total aerial bombardment of a place called Olu in Imo State to get rid of ESN group.
But do you know that that was the same time Fulani Herdsmen massacred and sacked the entire community in Agatu LGA in Benue state and Buhari refused to order even boys scout to go after the killer herdsmen there?
And that Benue mass killinggg continue unabated till today with no military action ordered by the C-in-C?
So will you still blame the military in that case that the can't fight?

^^^
Again, these are valid questions you have raised.

There is clearly a lack of will to tackle these security challenges going all the way to the top. Where you and I disagree is the so called constraints on the military response to these challenges.

The military (even at the level of a team of 5 or 6 soldiers in a patrol vehicle) have considerable latitude to respond to a threat to law and order. They don't have to wait for orders from the C-in-C to contain an immediate threat to lives and property. After all, if a military vehicle on routine patrol is attacked by a group of individuals, will they wait for orders from the C-in-C before responding? If a barracks is attacked by insurgents in the middle of the night, will the soldiers wait for orders from the C-in-C before responding? Of course not.

There is an inexplicable lack of political will at the top to tackle the problem of insecurity in Nigeria. We can all agree on that. But there is also an inexplicable failure of the military at the operational level - failure that repeats itself time after time after time. The military failure is more serious because they are the ones who actually have to go into the field to get the job done.

Pacesetter123:
Also,a lot of military men were and are still being killedddd in Kebbi,Katsina, Borno,Niger ,Zamfara,in Short,in all the northern states.Have you seen the C-in-C issuing such command that they always gave if it happened in the South?
No! They haven't and won't probably because of Islamic religious sentiment,ethnic consideration in the case of Buhari and the selfish political interests of the power that be both passed and present under democratic rule.

^^^
What are these commands that have been issued by the C-in-C in the South but not in the North? This isn't very clear.

As far as I am aware, the C-in-C doesn't issue detailed operational commands. That task is left to the military high command to execute - and that is where a lot of things are going wrong. BAT isn't in the field fighting alongside soldiers - and he shouldn't be. That's not his job description.

The military has always claimed it is the only 'true' national institution in Nigeria - things like 'tribalism' and ethnocentricity and discrimination on the basis of religion - these were all 'civilian' shortcomings. So how does that tie in with what you say about religious sentiment and ethnic consideration?

Pacesetter123:
This high level insecurity you are witnessing under democratic dispensation especially this present one CAN NEVER happen in the military era especially during the no-nonsense Abacha regime.

^^^


Ok.

To say is not hard.

Pacesetter123:
So,in conclusion,the Nigeria military capability is not in doubt at all.Though we do condemned them for their brutality against innocent civilians.But when it comes to military expedition,they are good.

^^^
It is interesting that your response about Nigerian army violence against innocent civilians is just one sentence. Just one.

Last week, Nigerian soldiers went to a university in Osun state and did awful things to their fellow citizens. Surely you can condemn their actions more strongly than just a one liner.

Nigerians need to decide on the kind of society in which they want to live. These soldiers sometimes behave worse than animals - and people just accept it as one of those things. If the police openly did this sort of nonsense there would be loud complaints and loud demands for action to be taken. But it's the army and some Nigerians like to be dominated by soldiers - so they remain silent.

Young women were sexually assaulted in this Osun incident. Is that army work?

Phones were stolen. Is that army work?

Young men were severely beaten. Is that army work?

University property was damaged. Is that army work?

You say that Nigerian military capability is not in doubt, Nigerian soldiers are 'good at military expeditions etc. But the evidence just doesn't support these claims.

When it comes to containing Boko Haram or rogue pastoralists, all we hear from these soldiers are excuses - political interference, lack of equipment, saboteurs, lack of kit etc. But they don't have these constraints when it comes to burning down entire villages and killing old people in Okuama or Odi or Zaki Biam - for the transgressions of a few. To this day, those places have not recovered. And all for what?

This unprovoked violence against civilians has been going on since the 1970s. Fela Kuti (himself a victim) sang about this many, many years ago. And nothing has changed.

Nigerians will take these soldiers seriously when we can all travel on the highways in peace. Anything else is a waste of time.

Kalvan50:
Drug dealing is a law enforcement issue. Are you so incompetent that you’ve been struggling for over 30 years to arrest and deport drug dealers in your tiny country? Let the law be enforced against those breaking the law, but your Zulu kin much preferred to go after law abiding, legal immigrants simply because they were soft targets

He has no answer for that one. They expecting us to come and fold hand with them and be crying for their drug addicts.

Kalvan50:
Shifting blame by telling you to enforce your own laws instead of descend into mob rule?

If people are breaking your laws, arrest them, charge them and sentence them. Your inability to do that doesn’t justify the looting of businesses by fully grown men during business hours. Doesn’t justify fully grown men and women, who should be at work, going to schools to harass immigrant kids.

He will not answer you because you are telling them the correct thing to do. They are just looking for scapegoats. Nothing more, nothing less.

CSTRR:
It's obvious that xenophobia is now a govt backed policy.

The Nigerian govt needs to respond in a cold, hard and calculating way.

Meanwhile they are still collecting visa fee from Nigerians at the consulate everyday and denying 70% of visa applications.

All na money.

damoobaba:
Your people stirred the hornet's nest by installing a king in another man's land. Same fate will befall you in Lagos.

continue showing your tri.ba.li.sm.

FSBoperator:
This is how you all blamed Abike for your people rightly being arrested across SE Asia for drug dealing.

I don't know why Nigerians are even condemning South African govt for doing the right thing by giving quit notice to Nigerian drug dealers in their country.

Is it drug dealers they are chasing.

Fujiyama:
^^^
It has been quite an exchange. You and I don't agree on quite a number of things but you have provided very valuable eye witness accounts on a number of things that affect us as a people. You have also kept the discussion issue-based and that's why I decided to engage you up to this point.



^^^
This is true on both a general and specific level. The big question is: how is government failing and where do the responsibilities for those failures lie?

While in the end, BAT must assume overall responsibility for the failures of his administration, he isn't expected to wear khaki, grab a rifle and go confront BHT or rogue herdsmen in the forest. There are soldiers and other security people who have been assigned that specific responsibility - but they are failing to execute. So you see that there is the general failure of government (for which BAT must take overall responsibility) in providing security - and then there is failure in the field (for which the military commanders (plus rank and file) must take specific responsibility). As you can see, there is plenty of failure to go round but we must not lump everything together.



^^^
No.

I disagree very strongly.

Every state in Nigeria has a security council or committee or whatever they choose to call it. The state governor, Commissioner or Police, senior NSCDC commanders, senior military commanders etc. are all members of that council or committee. The Kebbi state security committee apparently did its job and the responsibility for carrying out its decision on intel received - was assigned to the military. The military then inexplicably decided to stand down in the middle of the night - and two men are dead because of this.

There is no reason why the military high command has not publicly responded to these allegations by the Kebbi state governor. No reason at all.

Yes, you do have a point: by now BAT should have set up a panel to probe the matter but Nigerians shouldn't have to wait for an investigative panel before the military authorities respond publicly to such grave allegations. We shouldn't have to wait!

The Kebbi governor has done his part and told Nigerians what happened. This is particularly important since he doesn't directly command any of the security forces. Nothing on this earth excuses the silence of the military on this matter. Nothing whatsoever.

The Kebbi situation was an open and shut case.



^^^
These are valid questions.

No reasonable person would argue about this.



^^^
Again, these are valid questions you have raised.

There is clearly a lack of will to tackle these security challenges going all the way to the top. Where you and I disagree is the so called constraints on the military response to these challenges.

The military (even at the level of a team of 5 or 6 soldiers in a patrol vehicle) have considerable latitude to respond to a threat to law and order. They don't have to wait for orders from the C-in-C to contain an immediate threat to lives and property. After all, if a military vehicle on routine patrol is attacked by a group of individuals, will they wait for orders from the C-in-C before responding? If a barracks is attacked by insurgents in the middle of the night, will the soldiers wait for orders from the C-in-C before responding? Of course not.

There is an inexplicable lack of political will at the top to tackle the problem of insecurity in Nigeria. We can all agree on that. But there is also an inexplicable failure of the military at the operational level - failure that repeats itself time after time after time. The military failure is more serious because they are the ones who actually have to go into the field to get the job done.



^^^
What are these commands that have been issued by the C-in-C in the South but not in the North? This isn't very clear.

As far as I am aware, the C-in-C doesn't issue detailed operational commands. That task is left to the military high command to execute - and that is where a lot of things are going wrong. BAT isn't in the field fighting alongside soldiers - and he shouldn't be. That's not his job description.

The military has always claimed it is the only 'true' national institution in Nigeria - things like 'tribalism' and ethnocentricity and discrimination on the basis of religion - these were all 'civilian' shortcomings. So how does that tie in with what you say about religious sentiment and ethnic consideration?



^^^


Ok.

To say is not hard.



^^^
It is interesting that your response about Nigerian army violence against innocent civilians is just one sentence. Just one.

Last week, Nigerian soldiers went to a university in Osun state and did awful things to their fellow citizens. Surely you can condemn their actions more strongly than just a one liner.

Nigerians need to decide on the kind of society in which they want to live. These soldiers sometimes behave worse than animals - and people just accept it as one of those things. If the police openly did this sort of nonsense there would be loud complaints and loud demands for action to be taken. But it's the army and some Nigerians like to be dominated by soldiers - so they remain silent.

Young women were sexually assaulted in this Osun incident. Is that army work?

Phones were stolen. Is that army work?

Young men were severely beaten. Is that army work?

University property was damaged. Is that army work?

You say that Nigerian military capability is not in doubt, Nigerian soldiers are 'good at military expeditions etc. But the evidence just doesn't support these claims.

When it comes to containing Boko Haram or rogue pastoralists, all we hear from these soldiers are excuses - political interference, lack of equipment, saboteurs, lack of kit etc. But they don't have these constraints when it comes to burning down entire villages and killing old people in Okuama or Odi or Zaki Biam - for the transgressions of a few. To this day, those places have not recovered. And all for what?

This unprovoked violence against civilians has been going on since the 1970s. Fela Kuti (himself a victim) sang about this many, many years ago. And nothing has changed.

Nigerians will take these soldiers seriously when we can all travel on the highways in peace. Anything else is a waste of time.

🤝👍