ISSUES IN NEW ARMY FORMATIONS

The armed forces and the police must be provided with tools to secure the nation The recent announcement of the creation of four new divisions for the Nigerian Army reflects an attempt to enhance the capacity of the military in its fight to combat insecurity across the country. The decision followed an earlier presidential approval for the Army to recruit 28,000 new soldiers. But while these measures have been applauded by some people, others have expressed reservations about the ability of government to muster and provide funds required to implement the directive. The concerns stem from the fact that existing army divisions are poorly equipped and operate below minimum acceptable capacity. While enlistment in the military is a national sacrifice, it is not a suicide mission. Their personnel must be given the tools to fight. The argument therefore is that the resources to be expended on the newly established divisions could have been directed at raising the combat efficiency of the existing divisions in terms of manpower, weapons, arms and ammunition as well as fighting vehicles. However, we do not query the motive behind the creation of new formations. It arises from the need to have the military spread across the country to ease and quicken response to attacks and dominate many of the ungoverned spaces that provide haven for bandits, insurgents and other criminal groups. But if this objective is to be achieved, the government would need to invest massively in equipping both the new and old establishments. The recruitment of new soldiers comes with other serious demands. They must be fully kitted and equipped in addition to provision of decent accommodation and other logistics requirements for their training and future deployment. Likewise, the welfare of the military deserves attention. Well- motivated soldiers are focused even under pressure. There is no point increasing the size of the military only to have a bunch of poorly paid soldiers who could end up as a nuisance to the society. It is important that the government also extends the new focus to the other services as well as the police. As of today, the two major rivers that flow into the country through Kebbi and Taraba States are left unpatrolled. On the western corridor, this is constantly exploited by bandits to cross southwards and infiltrate Kwara, Kogi, Oyo and other neighbouring states. We therefore call on President Bola Tinubu to, as a matter of urgency, give marching orders to the Nigerian Navy to establish outposts with constant patrolling of the Rivers Niger and Benue from their entry points into Nigeria down to the confluence point in Lokoja. In his inauguration speech on 29th May 2023, the president had promised to make security a top priority and to “effectively tackle this menace, we shall reform both our security doctrine and its architecture.” In his ‘Democracy Day’ announcement on June 12, the president also announced that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) will recruit additional 50,000 personnel to strengthen its manpower. But translating these declarations into practical measures will require more commitment and hard work. We subscribe to strengthening the police to be effective and efficient – both in terms of its professionalism and structure, so that it sustains the capacity to carry out its constitutional responsibility of maintaining law and order. Notwithstanding the potential pitfalls that have been highlighted by various stakeholders, we believe that the merits of having state police far outweigh its demerits, and the constitution should be amended to reflect that reality. While hoping that the National Assembly, working with the Conference of Speakers of the 36 Houses of Assembly that has already endorsed the idea would put in the necessary safeguards, we align ourselves with the strong view that the country is overdue for the establishment of state police. Overall, while we endorse the idea of new army formations and recruiting more soldiers, we need to change our concept of national security to a more dynamic one. Our strategies must keep abreast of the sophistication in the methods of the agents of insecurity. Violent persons and groups by whatever nomenclature cannot be allowed to continue challenging state authority with such frequency. The entire doctrinal pillars of our national security are overdue for a drastic revision.