“The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The Soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country” ― George S. Patton Jr.
That despondency has etched into the Nigerian Army is not debatable. The groaning, long perceived, manifested recently when 356 Nigerian soldiers opted, voluntarily, to retire. A memo from the aggrieved soldiers to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, dated July 3, 2020, with reference number, NA/COAS/001, quoted the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service for Soldiers/Ratings/Airmen (Revised) 2017 to back up their quest.
That certainly is a worrisome development. The might of a nation rests on its army. The strength of any army begins with a soldier. As George S. Patton Jr posited, “The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The Soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country.”
Combat is tied to courage, fortitude and loyalty. A soldier must be embellished with such ingredients. An emboldened soldier is always willing to stake his life for his nation. No motivated and disciplined soldier would ever want to walk the path of a deserter.
So for a nation to wake up and be greeted with such terrible news of 356 soldiers asking to be ‘released’ is surely an ominous signs of despondency. The nation’s military hierarchy must address itself to this looming disaffection within its fold. It is not when we are battling festering insecurity that our army should face internal wrangling. It is on this premise that the decision on Tuesday, July 14, 2020 by the House of Representatives to wade into the sad tales in the Army, tallies completely with public expectations. The chief whip of the House of Representatives, Muhammed Monguno, and co-sponsors of the motion; deputy whip, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha; minority leader, Ndudi Elumelu; and deputy minority leader, Toby Okechukwu must be saluted for the move.
It is unhealthy to have such number of soldiers in one fell swoop seeking to opt out of the nation’s security services. The green chambers nay the National Assembly as a whole must dig deep into such scandalous ‘voluntary retirement.’ As stated by the mover of the motion, the soldiers tendered their resignation due to alleged “embezzlement of allowances and inferior military hardwares.” Happily, in presenting the motion, the legislators took cognizance of the recent exposé by Lance Corporal Martins Idakpein on the state of affairs of our Army. As stated by Monguno, “On the 22nd of June 2020, a lance corporal in the Nigerian Army, Martins Idakpein, made an online video where he condemned the attitude of the Service chiefs towards the attacks and killings of Nigerians and soldiers as well as untold hardship soldiers face while conducting combat operations.”
To further refresh the minds of his colleagues on the subject, the chief whip also highlighted series of protests by military personnel due to ‘poor welfare and poor working conditions.’ He said, “On several occasions, soldiers have disobeyed orders from superior officers in protest of poor welfare arrangements and alleged embezzlement of allowances due them by the superiors, and there have been cases of mutiny and sporadic shooting and attempted shooting of superior officers.”
Aside Lance Corporal Martins Idakpein, Major General Olusegun Adeniyi, the Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Nigeria’s counter-terrorism headquarters, was removed for complaining about inferior military wares while briefing the Chief of Army Staff, from combat zone after successfully repelling an attack from Boko Haram insurgents.
Again, not too long ago, the General Officer Commanding, 7 Division of the Nigerian Army in Maimalari, Maiduguri, Borno State. Major General Victor Ezegwu, escaped being lynched by rampaging soldiers for leaving them with neither food nor water while fighting in the North Eastern part of the country for two days. This much was re-echoed by the chief whip. How healthy is it for the society to have disgruntled retired soldiers without available employment opportunity? Obviously it is a major security threat.
The insurgency in Nigeria has greatly exposed the strength and weaknesses of our military. Experts in conflict management have repeatedly warned that ‘Nigeria is at a dreadful precipice.” According to Allswell Osini Muzan, “Observers of the country and everyone with any interest in it must be very concerned about what the fallout would be should it be unable to surmount its current problems. The problems are a complex blend of social, political, ethnic, legal and constitutional problems which now bedevil the country in proportions never before experienced in the turbulent and checkered history of this potentially great nation. There is now a dangerous escalation of terrorist campaigns with all the hallmarks of insurgency.”
The House of Representatives should look into the propriety of the action and the approval already granted by the Chief of Army Staff, as contained in his 17-page circular with reference number AHQ DOAA/G1/300/92. The circular reads, “In compliance with the provisions of Reference A, the COAS vide Reference B has approved the voluntary and medical discharge of the above named MWO, and 385 others listed as Annexes A and B. The soldiers are to proceed on terminal leave December 3, 2020, while their disengagement date takes effect from January 3, 2021, in accordance with the Nigerian Army Administrative Policy and Procedures No 27 Paragraphs 3 and 4. Accordingly, I am directed to request formations and units to release all affected soldiers to report at the Headquarters, Garrison, with their unit service documents for documentation.”
Early in the year, precisely on Wednesday, January 29, 2020, the Senate rose from a six-hour debate on the spike in insecurity in Nigeria, and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a national security emergency in the country. In similar vein, the House of Representatives, at plenary same Wednesday unanimously demanded for the resignation of service chiefs over what they described as suboptimal performance. It did not end there. The House called on the President to sack them if they fail to heed the call to resign.
The Senate, which debated the motion titled: “Nigerian Security Challenges: Urgent Need to Restructure, Review and Re-organise the Current Security Architecture,” sponsored by the Senate leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, and 105 others from 11.20a.m- 4.25p.m, also set up a 17-man ad-hoc committee to interface with all the security agencies on the issue.
The apparent loopholes in the nation’s security management gave birth to regional proposition and establishment of security initiatives, like Amotekun, in South West Nigeria to contend increasing cases of insurgency.
The military establishment must give attention to the welfare of its ranks and files. It must also appraise weaponry to give its troops the confidence to confront insurgency and other forms of banditry. We proudly market our country as the giant of Africa. We must live true to it.
