ONE NIGERIA NEED YOUR WISDOM & SUPPORT, JOIN HANDS TOGETHER TO MAKE NIGERIA A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE, WHOEVER LOVE NIGERIA WILL MAKE IT A HOME! BY :ADENIYI As a nation, we must come to terms with the fact the war on terror is a marathon and not a sprint. It is inherently a protracted struggle that will test our resolve as a nation. Without doubts, we will suffer reversals. Thus, defeating Boko Haram insurgency requires a multi-disciplinary approach in an all-inclusive and coordinated effort. Politicians of all shades, the media and all Nigerians must all come onboard. What is going on is Irregular Warfare (IR) which is a security condition of violent struggle among state and non-state entities for legitimacy and influence over relevant population. Counter-insurgency (COIN) operations to defeat Boko Haram insurgents will therefore entail the employment of all elements of national power. “Drawing from this imperative, our ability to defeat Boko Haram depends on a number of factors in the immediate and long terms. I totally agree with you that we need to treat the insurgency as a full-scale war. Accordingly, the President needs to make the necessary declaration in accordance with the Constitution. Furthermore, the news media has a critical role to play towards winning the war on terror. It provides the nation with a vital service we can get nowhere else. It is one of the pillars of national power. The news media should not be perceived as propagating reports of renegades or psychosomatic plants intended to demoralize our troops and cause dissatisfaction among Nigerians. The media as a body should assist in countering Boko Haram’s narratives and psychological warfare. Importantly, it should also help in counteracting the growing sub-culture of conspiracy, cynicism and misinformation, including those from the foreign media. “Going forward, Nigeria must reconstruct its security architecture in order to contend with contemporary security imperatives. The government must seriously consider the establishment of a National Guard. The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and all other peripheral para-military organisations should be collapsed into forming the National Guard. The National Guard should be trained and equipped to be the bridge between the armed forces and the Police. Establishing the National Guard would remove the military from the very many distractions it is currently involved in, such as various states’ task forces in internal security and guarding national critical assets. The use and over exposure on these duties degrades and impacts negatively on military training, doctrine and ultimately combat readiness. The military is a fighting force, and an instrument of state power. “Similarly, the Armed Forces need to be reorganised along the Joint Command structure. Future challenges point to the need for interoperability and joint operations. Accordingly, there is the need to restructure the military into geographic Joint Commands with Force Commanders exercising operational command over Army, Navy and Airforce assets without recourse to the Services. This will strengthen the military’s capacity to respond to operational situations on time, seamlessly, and robustly with requisite assets. “The war against Boko Haram insurgency is real. We must all play the role expected of us all, as individuals, the news media, communities, government at different levels, corporate bodies and Non-Governmental Organisations. As a nation, we must now come together to confront this evil before it consumes us all. If we don’t, and in your words, ‘the consequences for our country and all of us may just be too much to imagine’!” •This piece by Adeniyi (shown in photo) originally appeared in his column “The Verdict” in today’s edition of ThisDay under the heading, ‘Abeg, dat one na Chibok girls!’ Adeniyi
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 15:52:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015