Nigerian Army’s New Face

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Recently the Chief of   Army Staff Abdurahman Dambazau said the Nigerian army would bid for the construction of roads and bridges in crisis prone areas of the Niger Delta. This follows the unending threats by militants over the construction of key projects in the Niger Delta.

Also in response to intractable power failure in the country, the Nigerian army has constituted 11 fact-finding teams to identify the cause(s) and to contribute to the resuscitation of the vital sector.

We readily commend these initiatives of the Nigerian army. They appear not only as a productive engagement of soldiers during peace time but also a major contribution to nation building, which would also earn the army some income.

We have no doubt that the Nigerian Army has some of the best professionals in the fields of engineering, medicine, law, and agriculture, among others. Its skilled engineers and other well-trained personnel are capable of contributing meaningfully to the development of national infrastructure.

We also agree with Group Captain Sambo, leader of the 21-man team from the Nigerian Armed Forces Staff College that power failure is responsible for the slow pace of economic development in the country. We therefore call on the members of both Sambo's team and the other fact-finding teams to discharge their duties with a high sense of responsibility and professionalism.

Work is at the root of military culture. The work culture has been so integrated into military training that the latter cannot be complete without the former. By engaging the army in useful development projects, idleness and boredom among some members of the army will significantly be reduced.

We notice that in countries where the army has been involved in politics, it is left with no clearly defined role upon return to democratic rule.

In many countries, instead of keeping strong and able-bodied members of the army only for wars or peace keeping, they are engaged daily in nation building. In Brazil, the army has often seen itself as a force for nation-building, constructing roads and putting up hospitals.

Since the creation of the Nigerian army it has been engaged in only one full-scale war - the civil war. It has, however, been very active in some peace-keeping missions in neighbouring African countries, and quelling riots around the country.
On the economic scene, we note its role in the Defence Industries Corporation, but the army can help in many other ways in a country desperate for development. Rebuilding collapsed national infrastructure should be a national priority to all.
Desirable as the use of the army is in construction, we caution against the use of undue force in the Niger Delta. The crisis in the region cannot be solved by the application of force alone. If they win the contracts through due process, we see their execution as another opportunity for the army to live and work peacefully among civilians. With military regimes consigned to history, we do not believe that there are ‘bloody civilians' anymore.

All said, we welcome this new face of the Nigerian army.