Remember the days when the Nigeria Military was enviably one of the most respected institutions in Nigeria? It was thought to be only for a selected few; at lease for those in the Southern part of the country. As teenagers in the 1990s, we respected and envied anyone who was able to get into the Nigeria Defense Academy; popularly called NDA. Then only those that either have the right connections or that have demonstrated some exceptional degree of extra-terrestrial intelligence (by scoring 100\/100 in the \u201cshowmanship examinations\u201d) would have the opportunity to be accepted into the Academy.<\/p>\n
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When NDA students visit home during their vacation, they would relay\u00a0stories of how the NDA students from the North cannot write simple\u00a0sentences or even spell their names; how some of the students do not have\u00a0high school diploma and how they are forced to school daily by their\u00a0parents\/relatives. Here we are in the South under rigorous academic duress\u00a0studying hard to make 100\/100 in the examination so we can even have a\u00a0chance. Some of our friends had to change their names to Mohammed,\u00a0Mustaphar, Abdulkarim before registering for the NDA examination so they\u00a0would have a modicum of chance to be accepted.<\/p>\n
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Till date, I still cannot recall the real driver behind our interest inn\u00a0the NDA. But we studied and worked so hard to pass the examination; albeit\u00a0unsuccessfully. In the 3-4 years period when we were writing NDA\u00a0examinations year-after-year, it was only 2 or 3 of us in that generation\u00a0of friends that made it into the academy. We later found out that they
\nwere accepted not because of their high examination scores but because then \u00a0academy needed to give the south some \u201cquota\u201d that year. Go figure!<\/p>\n
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Undoubtedly, the NDA produced some of the finest professional military men\u00a0and women that contributed one way or another to Nigeria\u2019s progress. They\u00a0deserve our utmost respect and commendation; especially those who died in\u00a0the line of duty defending the country.<\/p>\n
The Armed Forces of Nigeria today is a far cry from those years. They have\u00a0become so overly compromised that they will sell out Nigeria and Nigerians\u00a0for a piece of bread. From gallivanting about the streets of Nigeria\u00a0drinking and sleeping with prostitutes at night while Nigeria burns to\u00a0Brigadier General Aliyu Momoh sheepishly taking commands from a bunch of\u00a0\u201cbloody Civilians\u201d, it is now clear that the Nigerian military is in\u00a0disarray; making the Nigerian state very vulnerable.<\/p>\n
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A Cameroonian commander was recently quoted as saying his military men do\u00a0not run away from Boko Haram like the Nigerians. What a shame! Truth be\u00a0told, some of the brave soldiers on the ground have tried to do the right\u00a0thing. But their senior officers are all over the corridors of power\u00a0begging for dimes and nickels while siphoning salaries made for the men on\u00a0the front lines. Is there any wonder while the moral is very low among\u00a0Nigeria soldiers?<\/p>\n
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I read with dismay the press release of Major General Chris Olukolade,\u00a0Director Defense Information in which he stated \u201cThe Armed Forces of\u00a0Nigeria is quite conscious of the fact that apart from its primary\u00a0constitutional role of defending the country from external aggression and\u00a0internal insurrection, it also has the responsibility of providing support\u00a0in aid of civil authority such as the need to provide complementary\u00a0security arrangement to protect our electoral process. It is on record\u00a0that the military has successfully lived up to its responsibility while\u00a0discharging this duty during previous elections without equivocation\u2026.It\u00a0is on record that the military has successfully lived up to its\u00a0responsibility while discharging this duty during previous elections\u00a0without equivocation.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Really? Was that what Brigadier-General Aliyu Momoh was doing in Ekiti\u00a0state? If the Nigerian Military has not lost her moral compass, one would\u00a0have by now heard an announcement about serious ongoing investigation into\u00a0the purported infamous taped conversation between the Nigerian Military\u00a0representatives, Governor Ayo Fayose, Musikilu Obanikoro and Minister for\u00a0Police Affairs, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade.<\/p>\n
Nigeria water-ways, airspace and borders are the most porous in the world.\u00a0Anyone can ship in, fly in and cross in virtually anything, anyone at\u00a0anytime. Nigeria Armed Forces is a sinking ship that needs to be rescued.<\/p>\n
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It is high time that the Nigerian military started to produce again a new\u00a0generation of competent and professional men and women of integrity who\u00a0are committed to serving the Nigerian people and not politicians and\u00a0business men.<\/p>\n
Until the Nigerian people see an investigation that proves Captain Sagir\u00a0Okoli\u2019s tape was fabricated, they will consider Captain Sagir Okoli a true\u00a0soldier and a hero who deserves a National Award. If the Nigerian military\u00a0continues in her present directionless trajectory, they will loss the\u00a0remaining sliver of confidence of the Nigerian people.<\/p>\n
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Paul Omoruyi
\neng.p.omoruyi@gmail.com
\nBlog @ www.diasporascope.com<\/p>\n
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