Nigeria Times

By Idoko Ainoko

Every system and in all political dispensations, there are enough spoilers and destroyers. The professional sabs stop at nothing to rock the boat even where the circumstances resist. There are people who hate progress and invent all antics to ensure progress is interrupted. Their only joy is when they cause confusion.

Nigeria has a fair share of such people. And unfortunately, they are also found in the corridors of power and they use such positions to pursue personalized agenda at the detriment of the nation. Nigeria’s most urgent challenge now is the insecurity.

But it is glaring that there is no meaning approach or suggestions to assist the President and Heads of Security agencies overcome the challenge of insecurity. Most Nigerians are out to weaken the attempts by the President to surmount our security challenges.

And the National Assembly has many of such Nigerians who are opposed to President Buhari’s stringent actions on security. I can argue conveniently and boldly with Nigeria’s best of political Socrates that since 1999 the National Assembly (NASS) has been Nigeria’s greatest incumbrance on the country’s progressive match to peace and prosperity.

NASS has consistently affirmed itself as the static and haunting nightmare of the country’s match to a stable or vibrant democracy, good governance and progressive development. Every evil plan against Nigeria is hatched through NASS. which they usually back with pristine laws.

The negative shadows of NASS are too overflowing and have overshadowed any modicum of respect or honour it has ever earned on credibility as an important institution of government in a democracy. I am not hesitant to say, NASS has marketed itself as an institution which also deserves an independent body to monitor it’s sinister and destructive activities in the nation.

The National Assembly is currently deliberating on a law Christened “Nigerian Armed Forces Commission Bill 2019.” The Bill is sponsored by Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe from Abia state. The law seeks to dissolve all the powers constitutionally vested in the President in hiring and firing his Service Chiefs. The powers which presently resides with the President is transferred to the Commission whose composition comprise politicians and National Assembly members.

It is difficult to understand the direction or intention of the proposed Bill. It is hogwash in every sense. It is the most senseless Bill ever contemplated in Nigeria or known to any country in the world. Outside its obvious aberration, I see it as a duplication hence existing laws already empowers the Senate to confirm Service Chiefs nominated by the President. So, what does the Senators want to do to Nigeria with that Bill?

What the Sen. Ahmed Lawan-led Senate is attempting to do by the Armed Forces Commission is to politicize and weaken the management of national security. It is a masked attempt to polarized the Nigerian military and make it susceptible to the mercy of politicians to recklessly manipulate. This is how we consciously embark on actions that are capable of destroying our country. The Senators themselves know that such a Bill is irrational and destructive to the security architecture of the nation.

But a lot of Nigerians are comfortably silent, because the darts are directed at a President they hate. But they have forgotten that President Muhammadu Buhari will not remain Nigeria’s President forever. Every Nigerian knows the Armed Forces Commission Bill will spell doom for the country if allowed to scale through the legislature.

The contents of the Bill overtly endanger the future of Nigeria because it is a sure way of polarizing the Nigerian Armed forces which will begin to function by the dictates of political parties and politicians. This is not permissible anywhere. We cannot leave sensitive decisions on national security in the hands of multitudes as the Senate is contemplating.

I am convinced that this is not justifiable. It surprises me that members of the Senate are hypnotized and hoodwinked by Sen. Abaribe into believing such a destructive and worthless Bill is worth their attention and energy to the point of debating. It is not possible for one nation to have two Commanders-In-Chief. The Bill seeks to create two Commanders-In-Chief for Nigeria. Where else is this aberration obtained?

Abaribe is a diehard apostate and an unrepentant agent of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB). He is the Senator who took the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu on bail when every one else declined. He failed to produce Kanu in court on the appointed day, which betrays his total allegiance to IPOB. It is clear to me that Sen. Abaribe is the veiled official force of IPOB in government and the Senate. And therefore, he is using his privileged position to nourish IPOB’s agenda as evidenced by his contemplation of this absolutely useless Bill.

And we all know that the main agenda and determination of IPOB is to lead a war against the country. It has not given up on this ambition. And its agents like Sen. Abaribe are working in diverse ways to create fertile and unchallengeable grounds for the IPOB war on Nigeria. No one is in doubt as to where they are deriving their inspiration.

And the nonsensical Armed Forces Bill sponsored by Abaribe is cleverly crafted to weaken the power of the Nigerian Military in the event IPOB declares war on the country. It is honed to sow the seed of disloyalty to Mr. President among the Armed Forces when IPOB steps out again against Nigeria.

So, we are not going to allow Sen. Lawan and his cahoots to rubbish the Nigerian Armed Forces. If Sen. Lawan is blind to Abaribe’s prosecution of IPOB’s agenda, Nigerians are not blind to it. The Bill is a façade by Sen. Abaribe to feather the nest of IPOB. It is Sen. Abaribe’s drive for IPOB’s agenda to destabilize Nigeria. But we don’t think, it is correct for him to use the Senate as platform in promoting and emboldening the ferocious and criminal activities of IPOB.

Ainoko is a public affairs commentator based in Kaduna.

By Sunday Attah
 
 
There is no such thing as crisis of confidence in the current war against insurgency in Nigeria. If there is, it wouldn’t have been confined to the hush tones of conspirators but would have been evident in reports of the operations of troops.
When Nigerian troops suffered defeat in the hands of insurgents in the previous administration and retreated to other countries for tactical maneuver, the whole world knew that there was a problem on ground that even the military command could not hide.
The contrary is the case with reports coming from the theatres of war and other locations where Nigerian troops have battled the insurgents in recent time.
Unlike in the past where military camps and fortresses were being attacked and subdued at will and communities decimated in the twinkle of an eye, the narrative has changed to reports where troops have constantly repelled insurgents based on intelligence reports, destroyed their bases and sending them fleeing in all directions by taking the war to their bases.
This was the case in Biu, Michika, Maiduguri and other places where the insurgents had attempted to launch attacks.
The effectiveness of military operations at the moment is such that there is no room for the slightest form of compromise to be accommodated, not to talk of engendering a crisis of confidence. Such thoughts exist only in the imagination of naysayers.
People have forgotten so soon that Nigerian troops have recorded tremendous success in the fight against insurgency compared to what was obtainable in the past.
This they have done by changing tactics and strategies and taking the fight to the theatre of war, deployment of intelligence in the face of challenges and by boosting the morale of troops.
The Nigerian Army as well as the Chief of Army Staff, have received awards and recognition from governments and reputable organizations the world over.
The gallantry of the Nigerian troops is to such an extent that neghouring countries which were relied upon to lead in the fight against insurgency after having withdrawn the bulk of their troops from Nigerian soil have been awed by the renewed efficiency, professionalism and determination of the Nigerian troops which has seen them succeeding in the fight unlike in the past where they have to rely on such countries.
Time there was when Nigeria invested heavily on the participation of other countries as a stimulus for fighting the insurgents. But with the success being recorded now, Nigeria has taken back its leadership position in the fight and has paved the way for the success of the much onslaught against troops.
The Chief of Army Staff explained recently that the narrative changed because changes were introduced in tactics deployed by Nigerian troops from a wholly defensive posture to one where the army defend in numbers and conduct offensive operations in smaller packets but simultaneously in different fronts.
People have also forgotten so soon how the terrorists had seized parts of Nigerian territories and proclaim with glee that they are severing it from other parts while hoisting their flags to drive him the point.
It was such a low period for Nigeria that in Borno State alone, 14 local government came under the authority of the insurgents with the sacking of every form of authority of the Nigerian government, such things no longer exists as all the captured local governments and territories have been liberated and there is now an effective local government administration in those places.
Many would recall that Sambisa Forest used to be the most dreaded place in Nigeria where even troops dare not tread.
Insurgents had captured the military training facility as well as the armory and were deploying it to their use as they wished. The area was a no go area for troops then even when it was suspected to be where they kept the terrorists kept their abductees.
The effrontery of the insurgents then was such that they even penetrated military bases like Monguno and Gwoza and seized the training facilities as well as armoury and sent troops and other trainees fleeing for dear lives.
But the Nigeria army under Burati has confined such experiences to the dustbin of history by retrieving such captured military bases and the dreaded Samnbisa Forest from the hold of the insurgents and established a base at Camp Zero.
More than that, the hitherto usual invasion of military facilities by the insurgents have been stopped as the remnants of the terrorists have been so pummeled that they have been reduced to launching attacks on only soft targets.  
This has led to an improvement on internal security as many roads that were declared impassable due to the activities of insurgents on such routes have been liberated by Nigerian troops such that many can now travel freely to their destinations without fear of being killed or attacked.
The barricading of major roads by organizations and in worship centers in state capitals has also reduced as people no longer fear conducting business within their premises.  
From complaints about lack of sufficient and modern weapons the amry has been able to equip personnel with modern fighting equipments as well as encouraged and supported all NA officers and soldiers who have innovative ideas and competencies that it is now partnering with several companies in Nigeria including Innoson Motors, Proforce Limited and Nigeria Machine Tools, among others, towards the production of light and heavy armoured vehicles, critical equipment as well as protective clothing for NA troops which has led to the development of the TYB Rover, Infantry Patrol Vehicle (IPV) and the Bionbion Helicopter, among several other equipment.
Many also forget there was time when the activities of insurgents had begun to penetrate the hinterlands leaving the fringes of Bor and Yobe and extending to Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Kaduna and even to the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
 
Those that peddle the idea of a crisis of confidence rely heavily on the restraint deployed when measures that extend beyond Nigeria are involved.
But this is misleading because they do not seem to realize that there are various dimensions to the insurgency which Nigeria has no power over. The interests of nations come into play when certain measures are taken which impact extends beyond a particular border. In such an instance, nations have to observe restraint in order not to be seen as infringing on the territorial integrity of others.
Issues concerning prisoner swap especially when  it has to do with international terrorists organisations like ISWAP cannot be determined by the interest of one country alone due to the effect it is bound to have on the global war against insurgency.
 
Nations have to fight to defeat both internal enemies and those coming from outside and the Nigeria army have done great so far showing that it has learnt from history.
In Romans 13 the bible enjoins all to respect constituted authority. It says,  “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.”
It is also recorded that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) received his first divine revelations for the purpose of legal warfare to repel aggression and protect human rights in Mecca where he peacefully preached the message of Islam to the Meccans for thirteen years until an intolerable level of persecution forced him and his followers to flee to the nearby town of Yathrib (later known as Medina and despite emigrating outside of Mecca, the Meccans headed by the Quraish aristocracy vowed to exterminate the newly formed religious community.
In all aspects therefore the Nigerian army has giving a good account of itself while defending the people and the territorial integrity of Nigeria.
There is therefore no such thing as crisis of confidence as far the war against insurgency in Nigeria is concerned.
 
 
 Evangelist Attah is a public affairs commentator based in Abuja.

By Bridget Agada

The management of disasters in Nigeria has come under public scrutiny in recent times. This is especially so in the light of the various humanitarian crisis that has been experienced in Nigeria, and worthy of mention is the Boko Haram crisis in North-East Nigeria. As a start, this subject would not be understood in its entirety if the agency of government responsible for the management of national emergencies in Nigeria is not highlighted.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was established via Act 12, as amended by Act 50 of 1999, to manage disasters in Nigeria. It has been tackling disaster-related issues through the establishment of concrete structures with the overarching mission to coordinate resources towards efficient and effective disaster prevention, preparedness, mitigation, and response in Nigeria.

It acts in the following areas: Coordination, Disaster Risk Reduction, search and rescue, policy and strategy, Geographic Information System, Advocacy, education, administration, finance, and logistics; relief and rehabilitation; planning, research, and forecasting.

Nigeria, as a nation, has suffered from its share of disaster occurrences. For example, between 1992 to 2000, Nigeria recorded about 400 major fire and aircraft disasters involving more than 10,000 people with a death toll of about a thousand-plus, and the quantum of property destroyed was evaluated to be in millions of dollars.

These include flooding and soil erosion, while the human-made ones include dam-failure, maritime disasters, bomb explosions, conflicts occasioning displacement of victims), oil spillage, population explosion, and air crashes. Nigerians have been lucky with earthquakes but not so fortunate with floods, pollution, and oil spillages.

The loss of lives and inefficient disaster management in Nigeria has been a burden too hard for the government to carry. The problem has been compounded by the fact that the citizens lack the basic knowledge of health and safety as well as a disaster avoidance technique. As a result of the inefficiency and apparent shortcomings in the management of disasters and to address the limitation in the scope of the operation of National Emergency Relief Agency NERA, and proffer solutions to the ineffective disaster response in the country, on the side of NERA which was established in by Decree 48 of 1976 by the Federal Government of Nigeria to fight the reoccurrence of disaster and the post effect of the disaster which is death, the federal government of Nigeria held a meeting with stakeholders and leaders of NERA and the outcome metamorphosed to the formation of NEMA for effective management of disaster in Nigeria.

The question is thus: Is NEMA making progress on her mandate? The answer is yes due to the following reasons. Since April 2017 when Engr Mustapha Maihaja came on board as the director-general of the agency, a lot has changed. This much has been attested to my critical stakeholders in the industry. They indeed stated that the policy drive and innovations introduced to the operations of the organization indeed gave it a fresh breath of life.

As a first, NEMA under the leadership of Engr. Mustapha Maihaja established Disaster Response Units (DRUs) to enhance disaster management efforts nationwide further. DRU’s are designated military units established through the instrument of the National Disaster Response Plan (NDRP) and charged with the responsibility of providing immediate assistance to civil authorities to reduce further loss of lives and property as well as human suffering during a National Disaster.

This is aside from the fact that efforts are almost completed to put in place Hi-Tech facilities and other infrastructure for an improved and all-encompassing disaster management system for our country. An example is the installation of the Search and Rescue Satellite-aided Tracking (COSPAS-SARSAT) system. COSPAS-SARSAT system, since its inception in 1982, has reportedly saved over 20,000 lives worldwide. The system consists of emergency radio beacons, equipment on satellites in low-earth polar ground receiving stations, also called Local User Terminals (LUTs), Mission Control Centers (MCCs), and Rescue Coordination Centers (RCCs).

It is on record that only three COSPAS-SARSAT technologies exists in the whole of Africa, and one of them is located in the NEMA headquarters in Abuja. This is indeed a rare feat and an example of the leadership drive of the director-general towards ensuring a regime of effective and timely disaster management in Nigeria.

It has also been stated that most disasters resulting in high casualty rates are due to the absence of an early warning mechanism. In this regard, NEMA has established a functional GIS lab for early warning and precision in response to disasters and emergencies. The lab collects spatial data, analyses, and prepares useful information that helps to aid responses to disaster. It is one of the significant facilities of the agency for its disaster risk reduction programme.

The Agency under Maihaja has gone into collaborative pacts with Helicopter operators in the Country, NGOs, INGOs, International, regional, and sub-regional bodies and agencies for both capacity building and technological enhancement in pursuit of a workable preparedness approach to curtailing disasters.

It must be stated that all of these innovations have indeed positioned NEMA as an effective disaster management agency. It is also on record that NEMA under the watch of Engr. Mustapha Maihaja has seen the development of an improved welfare package for its workers that consists of improved insurance and emoluments. This has led to an increase in the productivity level of the staffer in the agency. This is indeed commendable and an indication that the exceptional and proactive leadership provided by Engr. Mustapha Maihaja is indeed yielding dividends and responsible for the various successes recorded by the agency in managing disasters in Nigeria.

NEMA under Maihaja has also implemented measures that ensure unscrupulous elements do not abuse materials meant for the needy. It has eliminated the practice where impostors collect materials intended for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) through the biometric registration of affected persons. Critical stakeholders have recognized this feat as indeed revolutionary.

It is indeed a statement of the fact that NEMA under the watch of Engr. Mustapha Maihaja is indeed making tremendous progress on her mandate of effective disaster management in Nigeria. The director-general has set a worthy example of what sound leadership should be in Nigeria in our quest for socio-economic development.

Agada is a human resource practitioner and wrote from Abuja.

By Lawrence Audu

There was an interesting topic that dominated public discourse recently. It raged with some putting in arguments to support their positions and some against also putting up arguments to support their views.

The contentious issue is the bill seeking for the establishment of the Armed Forces Service Commission (Est.) Bill 2020 (SB 362)” and sponsored by Senator Eyinaya Abaribe, representing Abia South Senatorial District in the National Assembly.

According to the Bill, the appointment of Chief of Defense Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Air Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Director of Military Intelligence and heads of other arm-bearing security agencies shall be appointed subject to recommendations by the Senate.

I was somewhat lost for words when I read the details of the proposed bill in that the Senate would be vested with the authority to select Service Chiefs in the country. In my opinion, this is not only in poor taste; it is indeed an affront to our sensibilities on how some individuals and organizations would elect to tow the path of a disservice to the country by advancing causes that suits the interest of a few as against national interest.

As a first, a critical question must be asked, questions that border on the constitutional provisions with regards to the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I suppose that the president is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Section 218 Subsection 1 and 2 expressly states that “the powers of the President as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federation shall include the power to determine the operational use of the Armed Forces of the Federation; (2) power to appoint the Chief of Defense Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, the Chief of Air Staff and heads of any other branches of the Armed Forces of Federation as may be established by an Act of the National Assembly.

This is the constitutional provisions with regards to the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and I suppose that the constitution is that which defines our actions and inactions in Nigeria. I want to assume that there are indeed lawyers in the National Assembly that ought to have raised a point of order when Senator Eyinaya Abaribe made his submissions at plenary. And to think that the bill has passed second reading beats my imagination because if indeed it scales through, the Senate would have carried out a coup against the constitution.

This is my argument: the bill is defective. It should not be a topic for discussion in the first instance because the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as an institution is not meant to be subjected to the whims and caprices of politicians.

If this has been the case, I am not sure we would have had professional Armed Forces that is ranked as the 43rd best in the world in terms of professionalism and military strength. I suppose the Senate in their wisdom does not see the need for protecting national assets in the country, and they have elected to look at things from the prism of their selfish interest.

My concern about this bill is the fact that given what we know about how things can sometimes be in Nigeria, there is every possibility that there is an overarching objective behind the bill and one not in the overall national interest.

As interesting as this might sound, the Armed Forces Service Commission bill reminds one of the infamous third term agenda of the Olusegun Obasanjo era. If you would recall, the National Assembly was where all the manipulations and scheming took place with lots of monies stashed in bags and distributed to our distinguished Senators. As usual, the debate for the third term took center stage, and there were those in favor and those against. And at the end of the day, the third term agenda was dropped.

It is, therefore, my considered opinion that such a scenario would repeat itself if it is not already happening. I know that ethnic and religious champions have been mobilized by the sponsors of the bill to display ethnic and religious sentiments in the composition of the Service Chiefs in the country at the expense of merit.

The actions of the Senate can also be term a coup against democracy because attempting to misinterpret the law to suit their purpose is very uncharitable. In the first instance, there is no basis for such a bill, let alone debating it on the floor of the Senate. This is where I think the leadership of the Senate has failed Nigerians. They have acted in a way that sends shivers down our spine in the sense that the National Assembly is now the center of anti-Nigerian scheming and manipulations.

This is on the heels that the ill-fated call for the sack of Service Chiefs was deafening in the National Assembly. It was such an embarrassing situation that called to question the sincerity and commitment of our distinguished Senators to the growth and development of Nigeria. Suffice to add that their arguments were bland. And to make matters worse, the Senate made a media show of the whole clamor and attempting to discredit the executive arm of government.

We must learn to call spade and spade, and this much the leadership of the Senate has realized with the barrage of criticism it has received for attempting to destroy a revered institution such as the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. If not for anything, the leadership of the Senate ought to have been prudent with the personality of the sponsor of the bill.

It is a known fact that the sponsor of the bill is a known ethnic champion whose motives have never been in the national interest, but that of his geopolitical region. This is given the fact that it was he who stood as surety for Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, and so many other anomalies associated with him.

In conclusion, the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is one of our most cherished institutions that has brought honor to the country. It has been engaged in internal security operations alongside its constitutionally recognized role of protecting the country from external aggressions. What more can we ask for? And to think that some elements within the National Assembly have allowed themselves to be used by those that have elected to ruin Nigeria by this futile attempt to break and make a caricature of the Armed Forces in Nigeria.

This doesn’t make sense, and the leadership of the National Assembly must do well to desist from the attempt to destroy a strategic National and Professional Asset that has stood the test of time since the creation of Nigeria. The National Assembly must not lose sight of its functions as clearly spelled out in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and must align with the strategic goals of ensuring growth and sustainable development. And it must save its face from this despicable attempt at usurping the powers of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces with regards to the appointment of Service Chiefs in the country.

By Deborah Obeweh
 
In the history of terrorism and the fight against insurgency the world over, few countries are able to beat their chests to say they have succeeded in crushing terrorists in record time like Nigeria has done under the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Since President Buhari promised during the inauguration of his administration to relocate the operational command of the armed forces to the areas ravaged by the activities of the insurgents, the world watched to see if the strategy could usher in a glimmer of hope in an asymmetrical war that has defied all known tactics for winning a conventional war.
This is because most who have been involved or have experienced insurgency and terrorism know how different it is from a conventional warfare and realize that it takes more than a sophisticated armory or superior firepower to crush.
World powers like the US and Russia have found out that the war against insurgents is different from a conventional war because, due to how it starts, is fought in a terrain better known by the insurgents.
The efficacy of weapons is therefore hampered by the undulating terrain like hills, valleys, forests and creeks; access to the fortresses of the insurgents is made difficult with laying of land mines and due to proximity to civilian settlements. There is also the inability of members of surrounding communities to cooperate with troops due to fear and lastly, peculiarity of the illogic the drives the insurgency.
All these factors affected the initial operations of Nigerian troops sent to fight the insurgents and like it happened to US troops in other countries, Nigerian troops were being ambushed and killed and many had to run to other countries for their safety.
Worse still, communities and local government were being captured and a sizeable part of the country was brought under the control of the insurgents.
But the appointment of Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai as the chief of army staff in 2015 helped to changed all that; it raised the hope that Nigeria was about to do something different giving his approach and tactic towards the fight.
The Nigerian government had made a promise to end the scourge within a given time and Gen. Buratai resolved to achieve that.
Here was Nigeria, which had in the past admitted to not possessing modern weapons and a general lack of confidence haunting its troops now talking tough and giving a deadline for the defeat of insurgency.
And to the surprise of many nations, Nigeria was able to achieve and by December 2015, was able push the insurgents out of the territories they were occupying, destroy their weapons, set captives held by them free, liquidate many of their top commanders and pushing the insurgents to the fringes.
The world immediately took an interest in Nigeria because this is an area where many nations have failed.
The US an acclaimed world power failed woefully in several wars against terrorists and insurgency that it has come to learn to tread carefully when the issues in other nations bother on the twin evil.
Right form its intervention in Iraq to its recent in Syria, the strategy adopted by the US have not been that effective. This has not been helped by its meddling in the internal affairs of sovereign states or resort to different standards depending on the countries concerned.
Its intervention have been woeful that most times it is even blamed for escalating the crises in such countries as it happened in Iraq and Syria.
The Soviet Union had also not fared better when it comes to fighting terrorism,
It exhibited a lack of preparedness to fight counter-insurgency war when it went into Afghanistan.
It was reported that in 1985, Soviet forces lost 18 aircraft and 53 helicopters,  before the introduction of the Stinger shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles into the war.
In Somalia the US-led military operation in 1992–93 which culminated in the Battle of Mogadishu on October 3–4, 1993,  18 U.S. soldiers and hundreds of Somali militia fighters and civilians were killed.
Under international pressure, the UN humanitarian effort, known as Operation Provide Relief, arrived in Somalia in April 1992.Various Somali militias however disregarded the cease-fire that brought the UN intervention and engaged in extensive fighting as well as in large-scale hijacking and looting of international food convoys.
 
Hence the US proposed to the United Nations that American combat troops be sent to Somalia to protect aid workers which the UN accepted and on December 9, 1992, a force of about 25,000 U.S. troops began to arrive in Somalia.
The already unstable situation took a turn for the worse when 24 Pakistani soldiers were ambushed and killed while inspecting a weapons-storage facility.
On October 3, 1993, the U.S. forces in an attempt to capture Olympic Hotel in Mogadishu, where the targets were thought to be meeting went awry.
After 17 hours of continuous fighting, the surviving U.S. troops were finally rescued by an international force but the battle left 18 U.S soldiers dead and 84 wounded.
Soon after the incident at Mogadishu, the US withdrew all its troops from Somalia and a year later UN troops were also withdrawn, leaving the country engulfed in clan warfare.
This is in sharp contrast to what is taking place in Nigeria where within a short while after taking over, the Buhari administration crushed the erstwhile dreaded Boko Haram insurgents by taking the fight to their territories.
Within three months after Buratai moved troops to the theatre of war, the minister of information, Lai Mohamed announced that the insurgents were technically defeated and degraded.
This is because much success was recorded after troops were mobilized to enter right inside the fortresses of the terrorists at Sambisa Forest and the terrorists were fled and were reduced to launching attacks on soft targets to prove their existence.
Since 2015 when the current administration was inaugurated, so much effort was put in place to ensure the life of the citizenry is secured.
General Tukur Yusuf  Buratai on assumption of office got the troops ready for action and introduced reforms and  strategies which gave the military upper hand as they took the insurgents by surprise in their fortress which saw the Boko Haram terrorists running for dear lives.
Complaints about insufficient weaponry became a thing of the past as weapons were procured at speed and mobilized across the theatre of war.
There was confidence building as the low morale of the army gave way to high spirits as men and officers which under the previous dispensation were quitting due to lack of confidence became encouraged and fought in defense of their fatherland.
The military took the dreaded Sambisa forest and established a base at Camp Zairo as the insurgents on seeing superior fire power and war strategies surrendered and began to fight among themselves. 
Gwoza a local government headquarters  and 13 other local governments which were previously captured by the insurgents and designated the capital of the Caliphate were recaptured by Nigerian troops and its people liberated.
Local governments areas in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States that were under Boko Haran were liberated and the insurgents were pursued to precincts on the fringes of the Nigerian border and began to prey on soft targets to be able to eat
Much has been achieved with the release of the over hundred Chinok girls and return of the other set stolen from Dapchi within days.  This is a far departure from the attitude in the previous era when more than three weeks were wasted before the administration could even admit that some girls from Chibok were abducted.
Camps for Internally Displaced Persons IDPs were emptied as  more persons in such camps relocated to their recaptured communities living normal lives as before. 
 

Obeweh is a psychologist and wrote from GCU, London Campus, United Kingdom