₦airaland Forum

Loud explosions continue to ring out near Maiduguri as the military fight with terrorists in Kayamula village of the Jere Local Government Area (LGA).

The military has reportedly been exchanging gunfire this evening with Boko Haram terrorists near Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

Loud explosions continue to ring out near Maiduguri as the military fight with terrorists in Kayamula village of the Jere Local Government Area (LGA).

A resident of the Giwa Barracks area of Maiduguri speaking with SaharaReporters said soldiers ordered everyone to go inside their homes because many were trying to flee the area with their family.

Another resident, Mustapha Yusuke, said ''our children are crying because of the loud explosions near our area, it is late already I am just confused. ''

Kayamla is a remote village near Giwa Barracks, about 5 kilometers away from Maiduguri.

http://saharareporters.com/2015/08/11/soldiers-and-boko-haram-exchange-gunfire-near-maiduguri

SANDF

STATE OF NIGERIAN POLICE BARRACKS

He was drenched with sweat by the time he wriggled himself through the narrow entrance of his room into the passageway. Looking very depressed and drowsy that Thursday afternoon, he dragged himself along the hole-ridden passage and collapsed into the rickety sofa beside the staircase that leads to the upper floors in one of the buildings in the barracks.

With frustration written all over his face, Emma Uden (not real names), a sergeant in the police, kept muttering to himself, but dosed off few minutes later. Apparently disturbed by the music blaring in his neighbourhood, Uden could not but open his eyes feebly and intermittently.

His pain was obvious to anyone who came across him, but the reason for his frustration was largely unknown. However, as Uden would later tell our correspondent in a conversation he grudgingly consented to, since the apartment allotted to him in the barracks collapsed in June last year, he and his family had been living in the kitchen of one of the dilapidated buildings in Pedro police barracks, Somolu, Lagos. That was his main frustration.

“It was the only alternative we had at that time,” he said, as he unbuttoned his shirt to enjoy some fresh air.

Since he and his family were constrained to live in a room (kitchen), he said life had become one of bitterness and frustration. To escape the intense heat of the day and the constant constraint of space that his family of six could never live comfortably with, Uden had been used to sitting outside anytime he was home.

Hoping that respite could eventually come his way if he opened up to Saturday PUNCH, Uden wasted no time in leading our correspondent to his room where he lives with his wife and their four children. He opened the door and lowered his head as he made to enter, to avoid being bruised on the head by the doorframe. As he opened the curtain for our correspondent to enter, the odour, which seemed like a mixture of wet rug and accumulated sweat, that oozed out of the stuffy room was disturbing and could make anybody puke.

The room was like a store reserved for unused household items. The only window in the room appeared dysfunctional while the base of the wall that was visible was seriously dampened, and the ceiling riddled with signs of serious dilapidation. Expectedly, Uden, whose four children had occupied the only bed in the room, appeared discomfited by the state of the place he called home as he continually scratched his head to look for the right words.

Even though he is not alone in such a tortuous situation in the premises, he said he had resorted to coming home just to sleep, unless he was off duty. This, he said, was to avail his family some space in the room and that sometimes he would rather stay in his office or volunteer to go on patrol, all in a bid to stay away from home. They don’t even live alone in the house, occasionally, the family live with big rats that find their way out of the broken septic tank located close to the kitchen into the room.

He said, “When we were still living in the room and parlour before our building collapsed last year, we were managing because of the small space, not to talk of now that we have just one room, which used to be a kitchen. It’s like living in a cave. That is the lot of most of us.

“Can you imagine that? We live in a kitchen, and you want policemen to be your friends while you all live in your comfortable mansions. You expect us to carry rifle and risk our lives to protect people. Haba!”

His passionate expression of grief was second to none, even though he said he had concluded arrangements to leave the barracks for a room and parlour accommodation he secured somewhere in Bariga area of Lagos.

He added, “If nobody takes care of us, we will take care of ourselves, because apart from the space issue, we (residents of this barracks) queue to use toilet and bathroom, because the ones available are not adequate. So we queue to bathe every morning. Here, three-room and parlour flats share one toilet and bathroom. For me and my family who live in an abandoned kitchen, we pair with another flat. So, we join the queue every morning.

“Don’t forget that we are all adults with families. I feel ashamed that I go through this every morning? Tell those people in government what you saw here. Let them know we are suffering. Even when we get to the office, we either sit under the tree or stand in the sun.”

Some other policemen in the barracks who shared Uden’s views, lamented over the poor state of infrastructure in the barracks, saying they had always been living in perpetual fear for their lives, occasioned by the decrepit buildings.

As our correspondent observed during the visit, almost all the buildings in the barracks had obvious signs of imminent collapse. In fact, the derelict of the block six that collapsed last year gives an impression that the collapse must have been imminent before it happened.

‘I cry when I look at my children’

One of Uden’s neighbours, who also lives in a room and parlour, told Saturday Punch that it is interesting that Nigerians expect so much from policemen they are not well taken care of. He said the hardship and the living condition he had had to subject his four children and his pregnant wife to made him cry sometimes.

Fighting back tears, he said, “Sometimes, when I look at the way my children sleep on the floor, sweat almost all the time because of the poor ventilation, and the obvious frustration and inconvenience written on their faces, I cry. I know that they are not happy with the situation, but they are helpless.

“I pity them when I see them going out to look for water, living in such a condition. Sometimes, when I’m at work, I think about them and it affects me. These things make me cry, silently. Sometimes, we are on the same queue at the entrance of the bathroom. You can imagine that. Which father will be proud of such?”

The situation at the Pedro Barracks is akin to what obtains in many other barracks across the country. It also revealed how barracks that used to be a status symbol for policemen have become a shadow of death in disguise.

In the past, it was mandatory for police officers and men to live in the barracks, as they were prevented from living among ‘civilians,’ but years after, the reverse is now the case.

These days, the status symbol is for any policeman worth his salt to live outside the barracks due to the ignominious life that obtains in there. Some of them even said jokingly that they live like prisoners.

This shift, as pointed out by the policemen who have lived in the barracks for many years, was due to the lack of maintenance of the barracks, increasing population with no attendant improvement in facilities and the refusal of the government to build new barracks for policemen...

http://www.punchng.com/feature/super-saturday-feature/we-live-like-rats-yet-nigerians-want-us-to-be-their-friends-policemen-living-in-dilapidated-barracks/

SOUTH AFRICA

@Lionel4power this is SOUTH AFRICAN

@Lionel4power stop posting rubbish....is that a missile or christmas firecrakker....HERE IS THE REAL MISSILES DESIGNED, MANUFACTURED AND PRODUCED BY SOUTH AFRICA

SANDF

SANDF MADE

SOUTH MADE AND PRODUCE ARMAMENTS NOTE: NOT FOREIGN

SANDF

@AUGUSTUS THIS IS A NEW VIDEO OF BOKO HARAM AND SHAME TO YOU.....SEE THE DATE OF THE ATTACHMENT....ITS THERE IN THE BBC AS WELL ...FOR ARGUMENTATIVE SAKE PROVIDE PROOF THAT THIS IS OLD

http://ginjaland.com/article/boko-haram-releases-new-video-shows-off-weapons-beheading

SANDF

RECENT VIDEO OF BOKO HARAM

BOKO HARAM CAPTURES A LOT OF MILITARY HARDWARE



http://ginjaland.com/article/boko-haram-releases-new-video-shows-off-weapons-beheading

SANDF

WE DONT TALK WE DO IT

Denel, through its Denel Technical Academy (DTA), is still pursuing the establishment of a national simulation training centre and has invested money in the DTA to further increase training services.

In September 2014 Denel, simulation provider CAE and South African services company Elisa announced plans to set up a simulation-based training facility in South Africa. The South Africa National Training and Simulation Centre (SANTSC) would offer pilot and technical training for military and commercial aviation as well as emergency and disaster management training. The envisaged phase one of the multi-phase project was the upgrade of the facilities at Denel Technical Academy in Kempton Park.

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40116&catid=74&Itemid=30

NO THUMP SUCKING OR SOME WISH WISH TALK

Denel Dynamics is currently investigating the possibility of developing a counter-rocket, artillery and mortar (C-RAM) missile, based on its Mongoose platform.

The Mongoose missile was originally co-developed with Saab as part of the LEDS 150 active protection system. At the moment Saab is seeking an international partner to complete development of LEDS 150.

Erick Huysamer, a programme manager in charge of air defence technologies at Denel Dynamics, said that his company is seeking to develop a C-RAM munition in response to evolving threats. For instance, such a system is needed to protect peacekeeper bases subject to attacks by mortars and other munitions. Huysamer said that these projectiles were often launched from civilian areas, meaning that without this new technology there would be too much collateral damage to retaliate with force.

Huysamer said the 20 kg C-RAM missile will be based on the Mongoose, and will use its seeker and autopilot but feature a new rocket motor.

In 2008 Denel Dynamics developed the Mongoose-1 for the LEDS 150 system. This evolved into the Mongoose-2, which in 2014 successfully intercepted an incoming round at 60 metres. The company is now working on a Mongoose-3 high agility airframe, which should be ready after
Several versions of the Mongoose-3 platform are planned including convoy protection, helicopter protection, close area protection, and C-RAM version. These would feature different launch and control systems and be either vertically or horizontally launched.

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40085&catid=74&Itemid=30

SOUTH AFRICAN

SOUTH AFRICAN

SOUTH AFRICAN NAVY

SOUTH AFRICAN

SOUTH AFRICAN NAVY

SANDF

Denel Land Systems has awarded a contract to Sagem to deliver infrared imagers for the South African National Defence Force's (SANDF) Badger infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).

Awarded at the recently concluded Eurosatory 2014 exhibition in France, the contract covers the installation of three types of the medium wavelength advanced thermal imaging system (MATIS) on different versions of the Badger vehicles.

Designed to address demanding operational requirements of combat platforms for global armies, navies and air forces, MATIS allows users to carry out observation, reconnaissance, identification and engagement missions in challenging environments.

Capable of being integrated in turret-mounted weapon systems, the hand-held, fully autonomous imager integrates bi-ocular display, controls and a battery pack, and has already proven its performance during field testing.

To date, more than 6,000 MATIS thermal imagers have been manufactured for major weapon systems in France and international markets.

"MATIS allows users to carry out observation, reconnaissance, identification and engagement missions in challenging environments."Production will be carried out at Sagem's facility in Poitiers, France, while the delivery schedule remains undisclosed.

As part of the industrial participation programme in South Africa, Sagem has collaborated with local company Afrimeasure, which will handle part of the final imager integration, along with testing and through-life maintenance.

Around 238 Badger IFVs are being manufactured by Denel under a contract awarded by the Armaments Corporation of South Africa (Armscor) in October 2013.

A new generation 8x8 IFV, Badger is designed to provide soldiers with effective protection and offensive firepower in high-intensity warfare, while enabling them to dismount from the vehicle and freely interact with civilians during peace-enforcement operations.

It is expected to replace the existing armoured protected combat vehicle fleet, including the Ratel 6x6.

Denel plans to roll out first SANDF's Badger vehicle in 2015

Denel Land Systems (DLS) is planning to roll out the first Badger infantry combat vehicle (ICV) intended for the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in October 2015.

Around 238 8x8 Badger vehicles were ordered by the Armaments Corporation of South Africa (Armscor) from Denel under a multi-billion contract for replacement of SANDF's 30-year old Ratel 6x6 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) fleet, in October 2013.

Denel Land Systems CEO Stephan Burger said the company has already started industrialisation at its facilities in Lyttelton, with plans to commence production in early 2015.

''The system will be produced locally and represents the apex of the South African defence industry,'' Burger said.

''Although the development phase is still in process, we are confident that the Badger will generate considerable international interest in the vehicle and open a number of prospects for future exports that could result in the injection of foreign direct investment into South Africa.''

Approximately 70% of the vehicle is scheduled to be manufactured in South Africa, contributing towards the long-term sustainability of the entire local defence industry by creating and retaining at least 2,000 jobs among local sub-contractors, as well as 200 direct jobs at DLS.

"The system will be produced locally and represents the apex of the South African defence industry."The Badger is originally Patria-built platform modified to address South African Army's needs with regards to landmine protection, manoeuvrability and firepower, and also features a modular turret, developed by DLS in section, command, mortar, missile and fire support variants.

The vehicles are scheduled to be equipped with either a 30mm externally-driven cam-operated cannon, a locally manufactured 60mm breech-loading long-range mortar, a 12.7mm machine gun or the Ingwe anti-tank missile system.

Commenting on the vehicle, Burger said: ''The SANDF will have an adaptable and flexible vehicle that can be used with equal confidence in both high-intensity warfare and peace supporting operations.''

Delivery of full fleet is scheduled to take place by the end of 2022.

SANDF

SOUTH AFRICAN NAVY

SANDF

WHY NIGERIAN MEN PREFER SOUTH AFRICA READ FOR YOURSELF BELOW:

https://www.nairaland.com/403381/why-nigerian-man-prefer-women

WHY NIGERIANS RUN TO SOUTH AFRICA

Consumer Prices in South Africa are 11.11% lower than in Nigeria
Consumer Prices Including Rent in South Africa are 18.77% lower than in Nigeria
Rent Prices in South Africa are 34.83% lower than in Nigeria
Restaurant Prices in South Africa are 3.99% lower than in Nigeria
Groceries Prices in South Africa are 21.20% lower than in Nigeria
Local Purchasing Power in South Africa is 126.79% higher than in Nigeria

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_countries_result.jsp?country1=Nigeria&country2=South+Africa

Size isn’t everything

The country may be a giant, but it is still poor: Nigeria ranks 153rd out of 187 countries in the UN’s Human Development Index. Despite the rapid growth of recent years, unemployment remains high and the number of people in poverty has actually increased. Even with the revised figures, GDP per head is only $2,700; South Africans are more than twice as rich. Whereas large parts of South Africa have a rich country’s infrastructure, Nigeria suffers from clogged traffic and chronic power cuts. Lack of development is helping to breed an insurgency in the mainly Muslim north and stokes violence elsewhere that creates no-go areas for foreigners. And the numbers also show its growth rate is slipping—to perhaps 6.5% this year. To absorb the millions of young people pouring into the labour market, Nigeria requires the sustained double-digit growth that China has shown to be

http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21600685-nigerias-suddenly-supersized-economy-indeed-wonder-so-are-its-still-huge