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Brazil’s President, Bolsonaro tests positive for coronavirus

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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been tested for the novel coronavirus, local media cited the president’s office as saying on Monday.

The right-wing populist president, who has been dismissive of the illness as a ‘little flu’, had shown symptoms and run a fever before taking a test at the military hospital in the capital Brasilia, news portal UOL reported.

He also had his chest X-rayed.

On Monday, Bolsonaro was seen in public wearing a face mask and reportedly told a supporter not to come too close.

The president had previously been seen several times in public without a face mask, which is compulsory in Brasilia.

The 65-year-old has already been tested three times for the virus.

Following a suit by the state of Sao Paulo, the government presented the results to the Supreme Court in May – all were negative at the time.

Bolsonaro has so far shown great reluctance to implement measures to stop the spread of the virus.

Last week, he watered down a law that would require widespread mask-wearing in the country to stem its spread.

More than 1.6 million people have been infected with the coronavirus in Brazil, a number of cases second only to the United States’ and more than 65,000 people have died.

Buratai launches Exercise Sahel Sanity, inducts locally manufactured MRAPs

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The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Monday, launched the Exercise Sahel Sanity and inducted 10 new locally made combat vehicles into operation to tackle banditry in the North West.

The official launch of the new exercise climaxed the Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) 2020, taking place at Army Super Camp 4 in Faskari.

Enter made-in-Maiduguri MRAP war vehicles - Television Nigerian

Buratai said the exercise was scheduled to run from July 6 to Sept. 6

According to him, it is Nigerian army’s response to the escalating security challenges bedevilling parts of the North West and of course the North Central geo-political zones.

He said the exercise was expected to metamorphose into real-time operation, adding that it was designed to flush out armed bandits, terrorist groups and criminal elements in forests in the states.

“As you are aware, the worrisome spate of armed banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling and other sundry crimes, have continued unabated particularly in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna and Niger States in the past two months.

“This continued intransigence of bandits and terrorist elements has led to wanton destruction of lives and property with significant destruction in socio-economic activities which is predominantly the occupation of the people of the region.

“It is against this backdrop that Ex-Sahel Sanity is being launched to mitigate the current spate of banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling and other activities of criminal elements in these states,” he said.

Buratai explained that the exercise would be conducted in conjunction with sister services, the police, Department of State Services and state authorities to decisively get rid of banditry activities and restore peace in the regions.

He disclosed that good number of equipment, platforms and necessary logistic supports had been made available for the exercise, adding that troops would demonstrate empathy towards law abiding citizens.

According to him, be rest assured that as the chief of army Staff, I will continue to give you my full support and try to ensure total victory over criminal elements and terrorists.

He urged the people to render their full support for the Nigerian army troops and other security agencies in areas of providing useful information on the activities of the bandits.

According to him, this will enable the security forces provide the needed security and an enabling environment for socio-economic activities to thrive.

“Additionally, Nigerian Army will also continue to support the non-kinetic efforts of the civil authority to combat criminal elements and reassure the nation of our commitment and determination to secure the country and protect lives and property of law abiding citizens,” he said.

Buratai stated that the locally manufactured Mines Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles being inducted into operations were the initiative of the 107 Equipment Support of the army in Maiduguri.

He said that the vehicles emanated from the theatre of Operation Lafiya Dole and commended the efforts of the commanders for looking inward in their operational requirements.

According to him, the Nigerian army is going to be self-reliant internally through its efforts, adding that order had been placed for 20 more of the vehicles.

Earlier, the Commander, 107 Division Equipment Support, Maiduguri, Brig.-Gen. Babatunde Alaya, said the MRAPs were conceptualised and designed to support the existing platforms.

Alaya said the vehicles were produced using local content, adding that the products had been tested and were battle ready.

He commended the COAS for giving the command the needed support and resources to embark on the project and come up with the vehicles within a short period of time.

Gen Buratai’s homemade innovations and the Nigerian Army of our dreams

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COAS, Lt Gen TY Buratai addressing participants at the opening of 2nd edition of Career Planning and Management Seminar, 2020

By Michele Aluor

The history of the Nigerian Army is replete with stories that should make every Nigerian proud. In its 157 years of existence, there has been a steady transformation of the Nigerian Army into a professional and formidable force to reckon with in the world.

These are indeed no mean feat; however, this is not to say the Nigerian Army hasn’t experienced its fair share of challenges, especially with the prosecution of the Boko Haram war in North-East Nigeria. In recent times, a lot has been said about the efforts of the Nigerian Army in the security architecture in Nigeria. While in some quarters accolades have poured in, there has also been an unimaginable level of criticisms which in my opinion was brought about as a result of ignorance on the constitutional mandate of the Nigerian Army.

To say that the Nigerian Army has not been overstretched would be an understatement given the fact that is aside carrying out its core mandate; it has been called to support the civil police in internal security operations. The deployment of the Army in Internal Security Operations dramatically increased since the return to democratic governance on May 29 1999.

This is mainly because the Nigeria Police Force that is constitutionally charged with the responsibility of tackling internal security challenges is constrained due to a couple of factors. As such, these factors have often made civilian authorities to heavily rely on the expertise of the Army and its sisters’ forces, the navy and air-force to manage internal security challenges. In effect, the regular engagements of its personnel have made the organization to assume the position of the first line of internal security defence which ordinarily is the role of the police.

The Nigerian Army involvement in the internal security operations is inevitable as the need for a higher level of aggression continues to reveal itself. Although, this has been the case ever since Nigeria was formed and it also continued throughout the colonial period, the recent occurrence of terrorism witnessed in the country has further justified the need for the army participation in internal security operations.

The year 2020 marked the 157 years of the existence of the Nigerian Army and as such the drums have rolled out in celebration of the Nigerian Army Day with the theme “Nigeria’s Territorial Defence and Sovereignty: Imperatives for Nigerian Army’s Sustained Training and Operations.”

This year’s celebration is unique in the sense that the Nigerian Army of today has witnessed quite substantial technological innovations that have positioned it as a professional fighting force courtesy of the leadership strides of its present Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.

It is indeed a statement of the fact that the innovations in the Nigerian Army began to take shape from the year 2015 when the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari came on board. This was followed with the appointments of Service Chiefs, a move that was hailed in many quarters as one of the best decisions by the President upon assumption of office. This fact was further buttressed with the way and manner the Service Chiefs hit the ground running, especially the Chief of Army Staff due to the strategic role of the Nigerian Army in the fight against terrorism in the country.

It suffices to say that the confidence reposed in Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai has been indeed justified with the level of technological innovations in the present day Nigerian Army. This much has been revealed with the display of homemade technological innovations in line with the requirements of modern warfare.

Technology changes warfare. Technology has been the primary source of military innovation throughout history. It drives changes in warfare more than any other factor. It is the clash of arms or the manoeuvre of armed forces in the field. It entails what military professionals call operations.

The Nigerian Army, today under Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, has witnessed tremendous rejigging to conform to the requirements of modern-day warfare. There has been the establishment of new units such as the Nigerian Army Aviation Corps and the Nigerian Army Women Corps to complement the operations of the Nigerian Army. This much was stated by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai during the maiden Nigerian Army Women Training Week. He said that “there is no gainsaying the fact that there are some military operations such as psychological operations, in which the female officers and soldiers by their gender excel over men.”

I agree in totality with his line of thought in line with historical evidence that suggests integrating women into combat roles would not impact effectiveness, and perhaps even increase it under certain circumstances. In recent years, multiple countries have altered their policies to allow women to serve in combat roles. In 2015, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter opened all military roles to women. In the same year, India allowed women to become fighter pilots. Famous for being the world’s only country with a mandatory draft for both men and women, Israel inaugurated its first mixed-gender combat unit, the Caracal Battalion, in 2000. And I am glad Nigeria is not left out of this modern-day thinking.

Under Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, the Nigerian Army has continued to look inwards in the production of small and light arms and other combat artilleries by the Nigerian Army Vehicle Manufacturing Company established in 2019. This is on the heels that since the 1960s, there had not been a serious effort at producing military equipment locally by the Nigerian Army.

This is indeed a milestone in the Nigerian Army’s march towards self-reliance in the production and maintenance of Armored Fighting Vehicles and other classes of vehicles as over the years the Nigerian Army has relied on the importation of such vehicles thereby spending substantial foreign exchange which in turn depletes capital allocations.

Another brilliant initiative is the establishment of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre which was established in 2015 as a service think tank which provides intellectual researches, promotes workshops, seminars and offers solutions to the Nigerian Army of proffering solutions to defence and security issues confronting the Nigerian Army (NA) in particular and the nation in general.

The list is indeed endless in the innovations that Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai has introduced in the Nigerian Army. We must admit that armies of the world have gone beyond the conventional to the advanced both in operations and policy formulations. This is the lot of the Nigerian Army today, and we must be indeed grateful to Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai whose foresight has led to all of the above mentioned.

Little wonder the war against Boko Haram terrorism has been successful regardless of what some false alarmist and people with ulterior motives wants the generality of Nigerians to believe. That the Boko Haram insurgents have been restricted to the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin region and not in occupation of any territory in Nigeria is worthy of mention.

We must also admit that indeed the Nigerian Army of today is not what it used to be five years ago. This is indeed the Nigerian Army of our dreams. An army that is proactive and alive to its responsibilities. An army that is compliant with the rules of engagement in warfare as evidenced in the establishment of the Directorate of Civil-Military Affairs and Human rights desks at all its formations.

Lest we forget that the Nigerian Army under Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai has successfully established two new divisions as part of a strategic plan to improve on the Nigerian Army’s operational capabilities in the face of emerging threats to national security, however, it is not yet Uhuru as there is a place for the cooperation of all Nigerians in making the Nigerian Army the Army of our dreams.

Those that have elected to be on the other side of the fence fanning the embers of war must have a rethink. Those that are consistent in their antagonism of the Chief of Army Staff must also have a rethink and be true to themselves and appreciate Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai for repositioning the Nigerian Army.

Aluor is a public affairs analyst and independent writer based in Abuja.

Troops sustain onslaught as bandits surrender in Katsina, Zamfara

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The Defence Headquarters says the troops of Operations Accord and Hadarin Daji have continued to annihilate bandits in Katsina and Zamfara forcing many of them to surrender.

The Co-ordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

Enenche said the troops have continued to conduct intensive clearance operations to identified bandits enclaves in the North- West, with attendant successes against the criminal elements.

He said the troops had on July 3, stormed a bandits’ camp at Sanu village in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara sequel to actionable Human and technical intelligence on the heavy bandits’ presence in the vicinity.

He said that the bandits fled with gunshot wounds, adding that the troops pursued the bandits, engaged them and overwhelmed them with heavy volume of fire.

According to him, exploitation of the general area led to the recovery of one AK47 rifle and one SMG rifle.

“It was also revealed that several bandits suffered heavy injuries and most likely died, as evident in the vast pools of blood along their withdrawal route.

“In a related development, troops made contact with bandits at Bawan Daji village and neutralised one bandit while many others were fatally wounded.

“Troops further raided bandits’ enclave at Gidan Zamfarawa about 10km from Mashanyin Zaki.

“The bandits fled on sighting troops from afar but were pursued by the determined troops who engaged them with aggressive firing.

“Troops exploited the general area and destroyed seven major bandit camps while one AK47 rifle, and two motorcycles, among others were equally recovered,” he said.

Enenche further disclosed that troops had on July 5, stormed an identified bandits camp at Salihawa village in Batsari area of Katsina State following credible intelligence on their activities in the village.
He said that the troops overwhelmed the bandits with superior firepower and neutralised one of the criminals while several others escaped with fatal gunshot wounds.

According to him, troops also apprehended a suspected bandits’ logistics supplier, Mohammed Illela, at Illela village on July 4, following a tip-off.

He explained that the suspect was arrested while attempting to convey 13 jerrycans of 30 litres of PMS concealed in an ash-coloured Volkswagen wagon car, to suspected bandits.

The co-ordinator also revealed that a bandit was also eliminated during a cordon and search operation by the troops at Bawar-Daji village on July 5.

He added that one AK 47 rifle, five rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition and one magazine, among others were recovered during the operation.

According to him, owing to intensified operations, projected by aggressive presence and posture of troops in the theatre, three notable bandits have surrendered to troops along with their weapons.

“The repentant bandits submitted one Light Machine Gun and two AK 47 rifles.
“The Military High Command commends troops of Operation HADARIN DAJI for their dedication, dexterity and professionalism in the conduct of ongoing operations.

“It equally urges them to intensify operations against the bandits and all other criminal elements threatening the peace and security of our beloved country,” he said.

Air Strikes Destroy Terrorists Stronghold at Parisu in Sambisa

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Troops of the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole has destroyed one of the strongholds of Boko Haram Terrorists leaders killing scores of their fighters in separate air strikes conducted at Parisu and Bula Bello in the Sambisa Forest Area of Borno State.

Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. John Enenche, confirmed the operation in a statement on Monday.

General Enenche noted that, sequel to intelligence reports indicating a resurgence of terrorists’ activities in Parisu and Bula Bello settlements, the air interdiction missions were carried out immediately by Operation Long Reach Il, a subsidiary of Operation Lafiya Dole as part of on-going operations to rid out terrorists in the region

He explained that, Parisu, which is one of the stronghold for the BHT Commanders,has its booby-trapped access routes, fortified check points and structures camouflaged under the forest vegetation,
while recent aerial surveillance missions also showed increased activities of the terrorists in a cluster of structures in the middle of Bula Bello.

According to him, the Air Task Force dispatched its fighter jets to attack the 2 locations.

“The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) jets, while taking turns to engage the targets, scored accurate bomb and rocket strikes, resulting in the destruction of some of the structures as well as the killing of several terrorists”. He said.

COVID- 19 Palliatives: Group queries SERAP over frivolous requests on humanitarian affairs minister

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Sadiya Umar Farouq, Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

The Change Africa Crusade Ambassadors (CACA) has expressed disgust at Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) over the request that the Federal Government make certain disclosures on COVID-19 palliatives in the country.

According to the group, this is aimed to blackmail Minister of Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq.

Recall that SERAP, had last week, filed a lawsuit against the Federal High Court, Abuja to order the FG and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over COVID-19 palliatives in the country.

In a statement signed by Ambassador Benjamin Akinyemi, on Monday, CACA said SERAP is “insensitive

to the point where it constitutes itself into a distraction at a time that all efforts are geared towards minimizing human misery arising from the COVID-19”.

It added that there is “nothing to gain from compromising the integrity of the palliatives and relief distribution system simply to pander to the whims of a paid-for-hire platform like SERAP”.

CACA, however, warned SERAP to allow the minister to focus on the task on the ground of minimizing human misery arising from the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Read the full statement below:

Change Africa Crusade Ambassadors (CACA) is appalled by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), which filed a lawsuit against the Federal High Court, Abuja to order the federal government and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to make certain disclosures over COVID-19 palliatives in the country.

CACA has since discovered that the suit, rather than aiming for transparency and accountability in government, is actually aimed at the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouk, the CBN Governor – Mr Godwin Emefiele and other government officials that SERAP is out to blackmail.  This is an unfortunate situation that has again outed SERAP as a cheap political tool that detractors are able to deploy on the fly.

We find it irresponsible that SERAP is insensitive to the point where it constitutes itself into a distraction at a time that all efforts are geared towards minimizing human misery arising from the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit before the Federal High Court seeking names of beneficiaries of the FG’s intervention for vulnerable Nigerians is a clear display of SERAP’s hatred and double standard as a confused organization that is no longer able to tell its right from left.

The lawsuit is not because SERAP is not aware of the numerous testimonies by Nigerians that have benefitted immensely from the transparency and accountability which the Honourable Minister has displayed in the discharge of her duties especially on the distribution of palliatives and cash to well-deserving Nigeria, but because SERAP is desperate to retire the numerous funding it gets from foreign governments and agencies whose sole aim is to recolonize Nigeria.

The haste behind SERAP’s request becomes particularly questionable knowing that disclosing the names of beneficiaries at this sensitive time, when the distribution of palliatives is still ongoing, may discourage some vulnerable families from stepping forward to receive the palliatives. It is also on record that some individuals and organizations had elected to be unanimous, so, publishing their names could lead to a situation where non-governmental support for the palliatives dries up because the identities of donors were not protected.

There is, therefore, nothing to gain from compromising the integrity of the palliatives and relief distribution system simply to pander to the whims of a paid-for-hire platform like SERAP, which dubiously dabbles into the matter beyond its capacity and scope.

What SERAP should have done is to wait for the virus to be successfully managed and them come forward with its demand at a time when such action will not constitute a distraction or threat to the process of shielding vulnerable Nigerians from suffering. It must also be stated that there is the statutory year-end audit that will answer the questions that SERAP is currently jumping the gun to ask, reports of such audits are usually public.

CACA advises SERAP, its affiliates and partners in its questionable endeavour to stop distracting the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management and the CBN Governor so that they can focus on the task at hand.  SERAP is at liberty to decide whether it will refund the amount it has been mobilized with for the exercise to its clients or simply go ahead and defraud its clients as it has done in the past.

In the meantime, we urge the officeholders and institutions that have been frivolously sued by SERAP to approach the court to throw out the suit for the reason of its frivolity.

Boko Haram: Announce sanctions against organizations, corporations that support terrorism in Nigeria, Centre charges UN over helicopter attack

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The Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) has called on the United Nations to change its approach to the Boko Haram terrorism and announce sanctions against organizations and countries promoting and sponsoring the group.

CESJET gave this charge on Monday in a statement signed by Executive Secretary, Comrade Ikpa Isaac, following the recent shooting of a UN helicopter.

While condemning the attack as ” lowest act of cowardice yet on the part of Boko Haram terrorists”, the centre said that this a wake up call to the UN.

According to CESJET, the United Nations has smooched Boko Haram’s sponsors for too long and now is the time to quit playing the ostrich.

It added that the Intergovernmental organization must accept the truth about the sponsors and promoters of the terrorist groups that are killing civilians in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa.

CESJET, therefore, called on UN to “announce actions that send strong signals to the countries that are sponsoring and supporting Boko Haram, including the non-profits and non-governmental organizations as well as corporations and big businesses that answer to these countries”.

Read full statement below:

The Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) has followed recent development in the north-east of Nigeria with concerns, particularly the shooting damage of a helicopter belonging to the United Nations (UN) by Boko Haram terrorists. The attack is the final indication that the UN must change its approach to the handling of the Boko Haram menace.

CESJET is worried that the attack, which also resulted in civilian deaths, has not met with the expected level of outrage even from the United Nations that suffered damage from it. All that has been heard from the world body so far is the tepid statement from a lowly UN humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, giving updates and situation reports.

On our part, we condemn the attack as the lowest act of cowardice yet on the part of Boko Haram terrorists and we see such desperation to score a hit as indication that the terrorists will shoot at just about any target now that they are mortally cornered by the Nigerian Military that has taken the war to the heart of terrorists’ camps.

The attack on the helicopter is a wakeup call to the United Nations that it is time for a change in its stance of indifference to the crimes being committed by Boko Haram and by extension the corporations and the third party nations that are using the terrorists to pursue their geo-strategic agenda in the Lake Chad Basin. The UN had maintained an attitude of treating Boko Haram as Nigeria’s problem to which it was providing relief for civilian population caught up in the crisis instead of seeing and treating as the treat it is to humanity.

The presence of the airship in the vicinity could easily be mistaken for the UN being engaged in something meaningful in ridding north east Nigeria of Boko Haram and all its mutations but in reality, this is far from the truth. What the UN is doing in Nigeria’s northeast, flying aid missions, is akin to constantly mopping a flooded room without taking steps to fix the broken pipe from which the water is spilling. It does not make sense that the world body is flying aid missions without taking a firm position against the countries that are manipulating Boko Haram to destabilize Nigeria.

If the UN had taken the difficult decision of crafting a resolution to curb the countries that are behind Boko Haram and bringing its hammer down on the sponsors and promoters of terrorism in Nigeria and the west Africa sub- region, then it would not need to fly humanitarian sorties that expose its equipment and personnel to terrorist gunfire.

The United Nations has smooched the Boko Haram’s sponsors for too long while pussy footing on taking decisive actions against the group. If the UN had thought this approach will cast it as neutral and insulated from being a target, Saturday’s attack has now proven that the terrorists have no distinctions in the targets they select to attack as long as they can report back to their sponsors that they have again terrorized humanity.

The UN must now quit playing the ostrich and admit that it is time for the world to accept the truth about the sponsors and promoters of the terrorist groups that are killing civilians in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa. It is time for the UN to lead charge in cutting off these terrorists from among humans like the cancer that they are in the region.

CESJET charges the UN to in the coming days announce actions that send strong signals to the countries that are sponsoring and supporting Boko Haram, including the non-profits and non-governmental organizations as well as corporations and big businesses that answer to these countries and are supporting Boko Haram. Should the UN fail to do this and continues with its tradition of indifference then it stands to reason that Boko Haram will henceforth specifically target UN’s interests in the region because it would have proven itself as a toothless world body.

Nigerian Army and the numerous reasons to laud Buratai

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Gen Buratai on facility tour of some commissioned projects at the Ikeja Military Cantonment.

By Idoko Ainoko

The Nigerian Army is arguably one of the best in the African continent. Its exploits have been recognized globally by the United Nations, and other entities that have has reasons to give it a pass mark.

This is indeed no mean feat in the sense that most countries regarded by the strength of its military. Constitutionally, the Army is mandated to protect the territorial integrity of the country from external aggression, as well as the preservation of its sovereignty as in the case of Nigeria. This much has been achieved in Nigeria through professionalism and dedication by officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army. It is therefore not farfetched on why the Nigerian Army is regarded as the pride of the nation.

However, a lot seems to have happened in the Nigerian Army since the return of democracy in Nigeria in 1999. Some have indeed stated in numerous forums that the Nigerian Army suffered neglect under a democracy by previous administration starting from the era of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, who upon assumption of office retired over 93 top military officers whom he considered as politically exposed. I recall that the reason advanced by Olusegun Obasanjo was that the decision was to stabilize and save the country’s democracy.

This position of Olusegun Obasanjo was punctured by some school of thoughts who argued that the principal reason was to prevent a coup against his government. They also contended that Olusegun Obasanjo indeed starved the Nigerian Army of the required funds for its operations in a bid to keep them in check.

While all of these positions cannot be verified, it somewhat points to the fact that the Nigerian Army indeed suffered neglect at some point and this affected its effectiveness and professionalism which was exposed when the Boko Haram terrorist group began its violent campaign against Nigeria in 2009.

We were all witnesses to how the Nigerian Army struggled to keep pace with the activities of the insurgents. Due to years of neglect, those of us in the defence headquarters could easily sense the rustiness in its operations, dearth of equipment, lack of knowledge in asymmetric warfare and many others.

The attendant result of this fact saw the Nigerian Army suffering severe casualties in the battle with Boko Haram as they gained more grounds to the extent of taking over 16 local government areas in North-East Nigeria.
The Nigerian Army indeed struggled to keep pace with the activities of the Boko Haram group who were initially engaged in guerrilla warfare. What made matters worse was that they were operating in challenging terrain, and this gave them the more advantage.

From 2009 till date, the process of rebuilding the Nigerian Army started. I must admit as an insider that indeed former president Goodluck Jonathan began to the process of rebuilding the Nigerian Army. However, his efforts were not complemented by those saddled with running the affairs of the Nigerian Army as it were. I would say without fear or favour that indeed their greed got the better part of them and things got worse despite the enormous allocations.

Monies meant for welfare were diverted to private pockets, monies meant for arms and ammunition were also hijacked and in most instances, substandard and refurbished arms and ammunitions were purchased at very exorbitant prices. And the circle continued not until the coming of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

I won’t say that President Muhammadu Buhari came with the magic wand. However, he indeed did something that reset not just the Nigerian Army, as well as the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force. His body language was indeed too loud such that things began to take shape. This much the generality of Nigerians would not know, they felt because he was a former army general, it was expected that his attention would be more on the Nigerian Armed Forces.

That was not the case. What changed the story for the Nigerian Army was the choice of its Service Chief in the person of Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai. I must admit that not many of us saw his appointment coming as there were others in the Army headquarters that has positioned themselves for the appointment. I recall that Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai was faraway in North-East Nigeria serving as the Commander of the Multinational Joint Taskforce (MJTNF) under the auspices of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin Republic.

So in a way, he was out of the scheming to become Chief of Army Staff as he wasn’t amongst the anointed and positioned ones close to the seat of power as it were. I recall mentioning to a colleague of mine that President Muhammadu Buhari was going to place great emphasis on the Nigerian Army in the appointment of the Chief of Army Staff due to its strategic importance in the fight against Boko Haram. This was going to be strictly on merit regardless of all the scheming and lobbying by top army officers in the Army headquarters.

I would say this for the first time. When the announcement was made, there was indeed palpable silence at the Army headquarters as well as the defence headquarters as some struggled to locate the present position of Tukur Buratai since he was lost somewhere in North-East Nigeria and shuttling between the trenches in the Lake Chad Basin region. And today the rest is history.
Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratia hit the ground running so much so that rumours started making the rounds in the defence headquarters that it was because he is from Borno State which is the epicentre of the war and as such he took the prosecution of the Boko Haram war personal. But they were wrong in the sense that here was an infantry general that has been in the trenches as the Commander of the Multinational Joint Taskforce consisting of about four countries mandated to address the Boko Haram crisis which was fast gaining a regional dimension.

So it was expected that he was going to be proactive in his approach and I must admit that that was precisely what Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai did and the Nigerian Army of today is indeed better for it. He introduced some very tough reforms in the operations of the Nigeria Army. There was the reintroduction of training and capacity building for army personnel. I recall that special attention was given to providing local and foreign training opportunities for all cadres of officers and soldiers.

Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai introduced improved welfare packages for officers and soldiers which was lacking and mostly responsible for the lethargy in the Nigerian Army as it were. And this indeed did the magic because you can’t get the best out of people when they are not adequately taken care of or motivated.. This was more strategic in the bid to curb the lethargy that had enveloped the Nigerian Army at the time.

The Nigerian Army has also witnessed a rapid transformation in the area of infrastructural development with the renovations of barracks across the country, improved and upgraded medical facilities to cater for the health needs of officers and soldiers. A good example is the recently commissioned 200 bedded Army Reference Hospital in Maiduguri, Borno State to provide for the healthcare of soldiers who sustained injuries while fighting the counter-insurgency war.

The educational sector of the Nigerian Army has also witnessed a total revamp with the upgrade of all command secondary schools across the country. The Nigerian Military School was also not left out with the reintroduction of military training which was earlier suspended.

The establishment of the Nigerian Army University in Bui, Borno State as a training institution for the development of middle and high-level manpower in the areas of technological empowerment for civilians, appreciation for military policy; logistics and strategy is also worthy of mention.

The Nigerian Army has also embarked on the production of light tactical vehicles and other weapons at the Nigerian Army Vehicle Manufacturing Company (NAVMC) that was commissioned by the Chief of Army Staff in 2019. This marked an indelible milestone in the history of the Nigerian Army’s march towards self-reliance in the production and maintenance of Armored Fighting Vehicles and other classes of vehicles as over the years the Nigerian Army have relied on the importation of such vehicles thereby spending substantial foreign exchange which in turn depletes capital allocations. The strategic importance of the Nigerian Army Vehicle Manufacturing Company is the promotion of the Nigerian Army’s indigenization policy through self-sustenance in armoured and soft skin vehicles.

There has also been the entrenchment of transparency and accountability in the operations and procurement process of the Nigerian Army. This much can be said to be the hallmark of the administrative style of Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai as the Chief of Army Staff.

I must state that the list is in indeed endless in the reforms that have taken place in the Nigerian Army since the appointment of Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai as the Chief of Army Staff. In all honesty, there is a lot to be grateful for. This is aside from the fact that the Nigerian Army has been able to take the battle to the Boko Haram insurgents in North-East Nigeria with improved and superior arms and ammunitions as well as an improved and coordinated command structure that saw to the displacement of the insurgents from their operational headquarters in Sambisa forest and the subsequent takeover of all local governments areas hitherto under the control of the Boko Haram insurgents.

Yes, there may be pockets of Boko Haram attacks in North-East Nigeria. However, these attacks are not in the magnitude been reported in the media. Nigerians must come to understand that under Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, the Nigerian Army has indeed fared well. Those of us inside and conversant with all the complexity involved in warfare are full of praises for his numerous efforts in the prosecution of the war so far. Some of the details are not for public consumption. But in all, I must say that they are indeed numerous reasons to laud Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.

Ainoko is a public affairs analyst and wrote from Kaduna.

OPM church shuts down free specialist hospital in Rivers community over heavy levies

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The General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries (OPM) Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere has shut down OPM free specialist hospital located in Aluu community indefinitely.

Apostle Chinyere made this known while addressing the newsmen at his residence on Saturday 4th July 2020.

In his address Apostle Chinyere who spoke with a heavy heart says ” With a heavy heart i the General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere have decided to close down the free hospital in Aluu community with effect from Sunday 5th July 2020″.

This very hard decision was taken as a result of levies charged by Aluu community to OPM free hospital.

OPM free specialist have saved so many lives free of charge. It will interest the public to know that from registration, ante natal, scan, delivery, drugs and post natal services are free. This is a free hospital which does not discriminate.

Apostle Chinyere expects Aluu community where he cited 12 OPM free estate, One free specialist hospital and one of the biggest free skills acquisition center in Nigeria to appreciate him but they turned against him with a levy knowing fully well that the community are the number one beneficiaries of those facilities.

It will interest the public to know that Apostle Chinyere does not make any money in all those facilities cited in Aluu community rather he spends huge sums of money from offering and Tithe to buy drugs, pay workers and buy delivery items in the hospital which has high sophisticated equipment. The generators in the free hospital are run everyday with high cost on diesel.

Apostle Chinyere who has spoken with the leader of Aluu Community says, “I called some of their leaders they said it is a compulsory levy so I don’t have any choice than to shut it down”
I fill sad for those pregnant women who have been using the hospital. I urge them to look for another hospital.

He said, “Once we get a new location that is more friendly, we will come and relocate our equipment”.

All patients have been advised to stop coming to the hospital until further notice according to a report from the ministry’s site.

28 passengers die in boat mishap on Benue River

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Over 28 passengers have died on Sunday when their boat capsized on the Benue river.

The incident happened along the Kwaghter axis of pose to Guma local government area Television Nigerian gathers.

The boat was conveying Christian faithful to an annual Convention when it capsized.

There was no survivor.

At the time of filing this report, only one corpse was found.

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