No part of Nigeria under Boko Haram, say Defence Minister, CDS

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

The Minister of Defence, Major General

Bashir Salihi Magashi (retd), and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor were unanimous, Monday in Abuja, that no part of Nigerian territory is under the control of the Boko Haram terrorists and other criminal elements.

They both spoke during the question and answer session at the 25th edition of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration Scorecard which featured the Ministry of Defence and all its services.

All the service chiefs accompanied the Defence Minister to the event.

Responding to a question, the Defence Minister said as far as they were concerned, no part of Nigeria is controlled by Boko Haram.

The minister wished the questioner had cited any part of the country that is controlled by the terrorists, saying it could have helped to mention the states that were under Boko Haram, if at all there are any.

The minister then invited the CDS for comment on the matter in his capacity as the operational head of the armed forces.

The CDS, while acknowledging the basis of the question which is that the criminal elements have not ceased to operate in the North East, even though they have been decimated heavily by the Nigerian troops, explained that there are only a few of the criminals, and that the final cleansing is ongoing.

“There is no territory of this country that is under Boko Haram”, the CDS reiterated.

He said that the military operation in the South East is to bring about sanity, to enable elections to be held, and that elections would indeed be held in the south east, and in all parts of the country.

The CDS said the armed forces are working with other security agencies to ensure elections are held in the South East and other parts of the country.

Earlier in his presentation of the Defence Scorecard under President Muhammadu Buhari administration, the Minister identified some of the challenges standing in the way of military operations in the country.

He cited some of them to include lack of interagency synergy, ineffective civilianmilitary relations, budgetary constraints and inadequate manpower due to over deployment of troops to internal security operations.

He said the troops are currently deployed in different theatres performing such roles as roadblocks, security of infrastructure and guard duties for VIPs.

“This is in addition to their other commitments in CTCOIN and UN operations,” he said.

According to him, as of 2022, Nigeria with an estimated population of over 200 million, had a total military strength of about 223,000 personnel, representing a ratio of 1:1,000.

In comparison, he said, the Republic of Chad had at the time a ratio of 3.4:1,000, and South Africa 1.5:1,000.

He added that the recent approval for an increase in the recruitment of personnel in the armed forces boosted the manpower strength, but that there is need for sustenance of the recruitment drive to increase the ratio.

“MDAs have been noted to compete to emerge as the masses favourite, or the ones that are most effective in terms of discharging their responsibilities. They battle each other to assert superiority and dominance.

“This constitutes a major threat to internal security and national cohesion,” he said.

“It also accounts for budgetary wastage, duplication of functions, mutual suspicion, and encroachment on each other’s constitutional mandates,” he added.

The armed forces, he said, face suspicion and distrust from members of the public and other key stakeholders during internal security operations. “This is attributable to poor public perception of the military.”

In respect of budgetary constraints, he said the Ministry of Defence, like other MDAs, is placed on the envelop system of budgeting in which a fixed amount is appropriated annually.

“The system limits the allocation to the Ministry and has hampered the acquisition of essential platforms, equipment and logistics required to boost operations in the Defence sector,” he said, and that it has also limited recruitment and essential training programs in the Ministry.

The future plans of the Ministry, as given by the Minister include consistent recruitment of about 19000 soldiers/ ratings and airmen bi-annually, expansion of the Military Industrial Complex, establishment of an Aviation Technology City, and establishment of a world-class Quatinery Hospital in Nigeria similar to the Walter Reed Hospital in the USA, among others.

The Military on Monday assured Nigerians that the 2023 elections would hold peacefully in the SouthEast states and in all parts of the country in spite of threats by criminal elements.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, gave the assurance in Abuja at the 25th edition of the President Muhammadu Buhari’ Scorecard Series.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the edition featured the Minister of Defence, retired Gen. Bashir Magashi, who presented the