Commander-in-Chief’s parting orders

President Muhammadu Buhari last Saturday ordered the military to “engage terrorists frontally and completely eliminate them”. He gave the orders while addressing military officers during the graduation of 247 students of Senior Course 44 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC)at Jaji in Kaduna state.

Buhari noted that the last 12 years have been “very challenging” because of the many security threats that have besieged the country. “​Most of the security challenges facing the world today are both asymmetric and trans-border in nature, involving mainly non-state actors in different regions and sub-regions of the world. The West African sub-region and, indeed, our beloved continent of Africa are not immune to these threats,” he said. “We have witnessed recent terrorist attacks in Nigeria, bearing in mind the hallmarks of national and trans-border insurgents trying to cause havoc in Nigeria as well as in neighbouring countries.” 

Then came the unmistakable directive. “It will be part of your duty to confront these terrorists and insurgents and wipe them off the face of the earth and bring peace to our country.” On his government’s part, the president promised it “will continue to provide the required guidance and support to ensure that the desired results are achieved.”

However, the president recognized that the battle was not Nigeria’s alone. “Combating these prevalent security threats effectively demands that African countries continue to work together at all levels, be it tactical, operational or strategic”, he said. And he commended the collaboration between the armed forces of Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger Republic and Chad in a multinational operation to combat the Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad region which, according to him, “has been productive and particularly successful. The synergy achieved in operating together must have been enhanced by an understanding of the doctrines of the cooperating forces.” 

To the credit of the Nigerian military, they have not buckled under the weight of the security challenge, made worse by growing cynicism and near hysteria sweeping the land. The president recognized this. “The Armed Forces of Nigeria are working tirelessly to enhance their combat effectiveness, operational capability and training necessary to eliminate the threats, in synergy with other institutions and nations. The response of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to the Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, militancy, kidnapping as well as the activities of separatists and armed militias amongst others have been commendable,” Buhari said.

It may be that the military’s resilience, the weight of multinational support, and the encouraging words of a departing Commander-in-Chief of the armed offices will be just the elixir guaranteed to rebuild the nation’s badly compromised security architecture. Even so, the citizenry will need to raise its face and support the government – something it is not doing enough of. The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Lucky Irabor stressed this point while addressing retired officers Saturday in Kaduna. “The responsibility of securing the nation lies with everyone of us. It is only when information or intelligence is provided regarding those who are living amongst us but are more of a problem to us, that potent action can be taken,” Irabor said. Yes, the solution “lies with everyone of us.”