Obstacles In Nigerian Military War Against Boko Haram,By Samuel Olanrewaju

guest writer Samuel Olanrewaju Bill enlists factors
that, according to him, hinder efforts of Nigerian military in
the war against the Boko Haram plague.
"Many Nigerians and non-Nigerians see our military
as weak and incapable to win the war against the
deadly Boko Haram.
"I boldly rise to their defence. Our gallant officers have
capacity to conquer terrorism. They are million times
more skillful and better-equipped than the insurgents.
"Remember that Nigeria was the mainstay of the
ECOWAS army [ECOMOG; Economic Community of
West African States and Economic Community of West
African States Monitoring Group respectively] .
Nigerian military still remains one of the best in Africa,
and they have done a lot to sustain the unity of this
nation.
"I accept the fact that they have their weaknesses. I
acknowledge that much still needs to be improved in
order for our sodiers to stand shoulder to shoulder with
their conterparts from other countries.
"However, there are many obstacles to successful
military operations in quenching Boko Haram activities.
I'll name some of them:
► Nigeria has a habit of playing politics with everything in
a row. No secret that there are definitely politics and
politicians involved in managing and supporting Boko
Haram affairs. Some politicians are even using terrorism to
tarnish the image of the President Goodluck Jonathan-led
government.
► Let's say the truth even if it is bitter. Millions of Nigerian
Muslims strongly condemn and distance themselves from
Boko Haram activities and terrorism in general. However,
there are many people with extremist views who still
support the sect and believe in their cause, some soldiers
and officers of the Nigerian Army among them. This
sabotages all efforts of the faithful ones, since these judases
provide the terrorists with crucial information about the
upcoming operations and military movements.
► Corruption is one of the major Nigeria's problems and
greatly affects our military. Every year, billions of naira are
allocated to acquire new weapons, update and upgrade
the ones on ground, to training, salaries, allowances and
welfare of military personnel. However, the case is that the
money is seldom channeled to appropriate quarters. Due
allowances to junior officer are either not paid at all or paid
late.
► Beneficiaries of military conflicts. It's no news that some
people are sponsoring all kinds of unrest, wars and crises to
benefit financially from it.
► On the other hand, Nigerian military needs strong
financial back-up to hunt for terrorist supporters to cut off
their replenishment. Inability to arrest terrorism sponsors is
a big setback.
► Strong back-up, lots of supporters of Boko Haram.
Clearly, some of the most notable, strong, powerful
Nigerians are behind terrorism in Nigeria. This lobby can
be found in the government and among top military,
paramilitary and other officials. They serve as advisers and
the backbone to this group.
► Leakage of information, strategies and plans. This
happens in two ways: some military members loyal to the
terrorists leak the information, and, on the other hand, the
Nigerian military often make no secret of their plans,
publicizing and openly discussing them.
► Evidence suggests that many international terrorist
formations, such as Al-Qaeda, Somalia-based Al-Shabaab,
Iraqi-Syrian militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIL), Afghanistan-based Taliban, etc. are giving
Boko Haram training, assist them in intelligence gathering,
support them financially and provide weapons.
► It is not easy for any military to fight a guerrilla war,
especially with aterrorist group. You don't win war with
terror in a day. Even countries like Pakistan, Iraq, Iran,
Egypt, etc., which have strong military base, are still
battling terrorism.
► Low morale is also eating at the Nigerian military. Junior
officers sent to the heart of war usually don't get much
moral support from their superiors, government and
civilians. Some Nigerians even offer their support to the
terrorists.
► Poor government plan for military. Nigeria has lost a lot
of intrepid officers to different wars, but what has our
government done to honour these fallen heroes? Whenever
our football team wins a trophy, our authorities shower
them with property and money. Whenever we lose an
officer, the only thing he deserves from Nigerian
government is flowers at his burial ground. What of the
children, the widow, siblings and relatives he left behind?
Government should create proper conditions for our fighters
for the to see that this country is worth protecting and even
dying for.
► Financial bodies, headed by the Central Bank of Nigeria,
should monitor both foreign and local money transfer
operations to be able to alert law enforcement agencies in
case of any suspicious transactions.
► I would like to point out that law enforcement agencies
need to put in more efforts. Look at our borders: free as a
church gate! In fact, we don't even know the total number
of routes to our country. Where are our customs officers?
We have millions of illegal immigrants roaming our street,
so what is the function of Nigeria Immigration Service?
Thousands of unregistered vehicles, where is the FRSC? All
other paramilitary forces need to work closely with the
military to complement their efforts.
► The State Security Service (SSS, also known as the
Department of State Services (DSS)), the National
Intelligence Agency, Defence Intelligence Agency – all
should work to assist the military. While in these modern
times, intelligence reporting is paramount, Nigerian military
still lacks capacity in this sphere.
► Speaking of government agencies and parastatals, they
need to provide more of important information to the
military, too. National Identity Management Commission,
National Bureau of Statistics, National Emergency
Management Agency, Joint Task Force should offer their
services to combat proliferation of small arms and light
weapons.
► Civilians are reluctant to cooperate with the military in
providing useful information. I think that national security is
everyone's business and concern!
"I urge all Nigerians to give our military as much
moral support as posible. We should encourage them,
believe in them, pray for them, remember they are not
ghosts but ordinary men and women like us. Together,
we can put an end to terrorism in Nigeria and build a
better nation! God bless Nigerian military, God bless
Nigeria!"
Mr. Olanrewaju's (who can be contacted
at samolabill@gmail.com) text appears on Naij.com within
the framework of our Guest Blogger project. We strongly
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