We should first and foremost dispel the notion that those men and women in uniform or the commander in chief of the armed forces own the armed forces. This is the first fundamental step to saving and liberating the armed forces from the shackles of the much talked about parochialism, corruption and nepotism that has crippled this giant Africans are looking up to. The members of the armed forces are Nigerians owned one hundred percent by Nigerians and sustained by Nigerians. This has to be made clear to all members of the armed forces and it has to sink into their psyche. They are here to serve not to be served. Their duty is to protect and maintain the integrity of our dear nation not to terrify the law abiding citizens and humiliate them.
In these few years since the inception of this government, there are military check points all over the places in cities, people seeing men in uniform taking bribes from vehicles carrying Goods, disembarking and humiliating motorcyclists. Nigerians are truly terrorized by their armed forces. There is no reason why a soldier should not address a motorist with such politeness as; ‘excuse me sir!’ or search people with decorum and say: ‘Sorry and Good bye Sir’ to the disturbed innocent citizens.
To the contrary, Nigerians were shocked to have realized that under the state of emergency laws and the heavy defense budget there were no such road blocks all the way from Chibok to Sambisa forest. All along the ‘might’ of their military is only flexed against the innocent citizens. I have seen with my own eyes a soldier with a whip (koboko) mercilessly lashing a taxi driver. I have seen also a driver subjected to corporal punishment by the road side. I have heard a man who saw soldiers on the road side once ordered drivers out of their cars to sweep the road. Story of abuses and wanton display of ‘power’ on the unarmed innocent citizens. No Nigerian needs to be convinced, hardly any ordinary Nigerian that has not suffered one form of abuse or the other in their hands. It is that pathetic.
To save our military, it should be apolitical and unbiased against any religious and ethnic section. For this basic reason, the constitution required that each an every segment of the Nigerian populace should be equally represented in this body to give everybody the sense of belonging and ownership. Chapter VI part III C, section 217 (3) of the constitution says; (the composition of the officer corps and other ranks of the armed forces of the federation shall reflect the federal character of Nigeria). This Constitutional provision is for ‘the purpose of promoting the good government and welfare of all persons in our country, on the principles of freedom, equality and justice, and for the purpose of consolidating the unity of our people’.
Therefore when such provision is breached by the very people that are suppose to protect it, we all see the obvious breakdown of security and the weakness of governance and the gradual insidious disintegration of our unity. What is happening to our military today can never said to be anything close to this constitutional requirement. This explains its weakness in front of the international community. No responsible leadership should allow itself to appear sectional or regional or tribal or religiously prejudiced. These are the stimulants of disunity and disgruntlement. And unfortunately these are the things the present dispensation has done little not to encourage.
We dearly need a Nigerian military - in form and content - to tackle once and for all the Boko Haram saga. The military that represents us all and we all cherish and love. A military with clean hands off innocent human blood and suffering. A Military that arraigns its criminals not conceals them.
Or to think of it all, is it another reckless ploy at the disintegration of Nigeria if the Sovereign National Conference could not hold? Time will surely tell.
May Allah protect us all. Amin!
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