The War on Boko Haram: Corruption in the Nigerian Army

Overview

The Nigerian Army has faced a list of problems since independence. There have been times when the unity of the country was under strain but even the most learned historian will have a hard time finding a comparison to the current state of affairs in the Country. Political analysts agree that Boko Haram’s insurgency is a bigger threat to Nigeria’s existence than the Biafra war was. This is because the Biafra war had ethnic and political roots whereas the Boko Haram insurgency encompasses Political, religious, ethnic, social and even foreign ideological roots behind it.

Boko Haram started its uprising in 2009 and in this period, Nigeria has witnessed over 50 attacks and a loss of over 5000 lives approximately. Unfortunately, there is only government-controlled communication from north-eastern Nigeria, this means facts are difficult to verify but, countless reports point to the fact that Boko Haram is currently in control of 25-26 towns; claims which the Federal Government strongly denies.

(Below is a map illustrating territory captured by Boko Haram)

As if the pain of their daughters’ kidnapping was not a heavy enough burden, the parents of the missing schoolgirls were forced to evacuate the town of Chibok when Boko Haram insurgents overran it. News reports indicate that the town is back in government hands. The general citizenry has been crying out for answers but all we are fed with is misinformation. The political elite will rather engage in petty partisan politics than come to a working strategy on this war. If you are a Nigerian who keeps in touch with the news then your heart must have been shaken like mine when pictures of the ‘NASS scuffles’ surfaced online. This was on a day when the NASS was to quiz the service chiefs on their request for an extension of emergency rule in the North East.

Regardless of which side of the political spectrum you fit, one thing is clear: Nigeria is losing her war on terror. Why is this? There are combinations of reasons. This article will try and cover the major reasons for this.

DECLINE OF THE ARMED FORCES

The Nigerian Army was once described as the most effective fighting force in Africa. Its large number of personnel and advanced weapons made it a source of pride and confidence to Nigerians worldwide. The Army demonstrated its capability to mobilize, deploy, and sustain brigades in support of peacekeeping operations in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Angola. Smaller army units were also sent on UN and ECOWAS deployments in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Somalia. This doctrine of military intervention into foreign conflict zones was described as Pax Nigeriana; the relative stability of Nigeria and the (military, economic and political) dominant foreign policy of the country towards the African continent. With such accolades and recognition of valour in combat, where did things start going wrong?

"The Nigerian military is a shadow of what it's reputed to have once been, they’ve fallen apart".

Colonel James Hall [RTD] (Military attaché to Nigeria from Britain)

CORRUPTION WITHIN THE ARMY

It is no secret that most Nigerian Government institutions are dealing with the issue of corruption. The army is not immune to this problem. During a Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations committee, Alice Fiend (The Pentagon’s Principal Director for African Relations) stated that, “The Nigerian military has the same challenges with corruption that every other institution in Nigeria does. Much of the funding that goes to the Nigerian military is skimmed off the top, if you will”.

It takes a significant amount of resources to sustain an army unit on the frontline. Battles are lost when the soldier is severely restricted from executing his mission due to inadequate supplies or poor performing equipment. The Nigerian Military has one of the highest defense budgets in Africa; the problem is obviously not a lack of funds but how the funds are used. How can one identify the flaws in the military spending strategy when the Nigerian Military Budget is opaque? Only aggregate numbers are presented to the public. However, we do know that the National assembly approved N968.127Billion (Roughly $3billion) for the 2014 defense budget.

With such a large budget, Nigerian Army commanders are at a loss to explain why junior soldiers tell stories of inadequate equipment or poor living standards. Below is a brief list of complaints gathered from Junior Nigerian Soldiers:

• They get 30 bullets (60 if you pay a bribe) when going on duty. They are unable to sustain themselves in a firefight with insurgents who come with limitless amounts of ammunition.

• They get 3 sachets of water for a whole deployment.

• Their salaries of N30000 is usually halved or paid late (In the army’s defense, it says the ministry of finance is late in releasing funds.)

• They often lack tents or sleeping bags, many must scavenge for firewood to cook – hardly the motivation needed to fight a violent aggressor.

• The Government provided finances for the creation and supply of 3 bases for 3 separate army units but instead, the 3 units share one base on Mubi road.

The army DHQ unfortunately dismissed the claims as: coming from soldiers full of ignorance, fear and mischief. This is far from the truth, most people that have some form of affiliation with the Nigerian army will tell you that the junior soldiers do not get what is required to win this war from senior officers. This claim is backed up by further evidence that Nigerian Peacekeepers [posted to Mali in 2013] performed poorly and were generally ill disciplined. A senior official in the UN mission who spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity reported that they lacked the equipment and training needed to be of much help against al-Qaida-linked forces. This is in contrast to the Nigerian peacekeepers in the 1990s, who were effective in curbing ethnic bloodshed in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

The Nigerian army and the FG are very good at defending their policies and discrediting critics but all evidence leads to the conclusion that the Nigerian Army is corrupt. Maybe the Government believes that the Nigerian State cannot be overrun by Boko Haram but there are examples of armies that got overrun as a result of corruption. The Iraqi army was unable to defeat ISIS despite a decade of US training and arming. This is because funds meant for training, soldier welfare and army operations were siphoned off. The Nigerian army has to be serious about the corrupt officers within its ranks; it is in the business of life and death.

DWINDLING COOPERATION WITH WESTERN FORCES

The Nigerian army has been dealing with various allegations of Human Right abuses. This severely restricts the capability of western forces to work with them. For example the United States cannot train or equip the Nigerian army because of the ‘Leahy Law’. This prevents the US from sending military aid to units that are implicated in gross human rights abuses like rape or torture (Pretty much the whole army). A State Department inspector general’s report last year stated that 1,377 Nigerian soldiers were vetted in 2012 to receive training, however, 211 were rejected or suspended because of human rights concerns.

GENERAL DISCONTENT OF THE CITIZENRY

“Though Force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness, consideration and cooperation can finally lead men to the dawn of peace.”

General Dwight D. Eisenhower [rtd]. (President of the United States, Supreme Allied Commander Europe WW2)

This quote encompasses everything that needs to be said on the issue. Nigerians are unhappy, people are living in abject poverty, corruption is rampant, there is no justice etc. 70% of the population is below the poverty line; in a country with a Gross Domestic Product of $522billion! Nigeria’s youthful population sees no prospects for their future and are therefore more susceptible to radical ideologies. Yes! I am of the ultimate belief that Boko Haram’s ability to recruit and desensitize individuals is due to the problem of unemployment and poverty rather than religion itself. Before Boko Haram, Nigerians were dealing with MEND and if the Boko Haram problem is solved by force, a new group with a different ideology will only replace it.

POLITICAL BICKERING

Nigerian politicians are currently scoring political points from this tragedy. Both parties are unable to see beyond the political side of things. The PDP has accused Ex-President: Muhammad Buhari of being behind the group. It also points to the fact that the insurgency is hottest in APC controlled states. The APC in response accused the PDP of using the insurgency as an advantage in the run up to the 2015 elections. This heats up the polity and adds to the already confusing war on boko haram. A war fuelled by misinformation and various claims of sabotage within the Nigerian army. The army needs the full support of all political parties to execute this war properly. This is not a bipartisan war, it is a war for the very soul of Nigeria.

CONCLUSION

We have all heard the quote from US General Patton: “Die for something or live for nothing”.

This quote describes the duty of a soldier but, what is that ‘something’ we are asking our soldiers to die for? How can we ask our soldiers to put their lives on the line without giving them the best possible chance to win? We need to encourage and motivate the Nigerian army. Without the support of the general population and a revision of the government’s strategy, this war will be unsuccessful.