A retired Captain with the Nigerian Army and a security consultant has supported the actions taken by President Goodluck Jonathan on the security situation in the north eastern part of Nigeria.
Captain Umar ‘Blade’ Aliyu (Rtd) backed the president’s action saying “yes. Despite reservation and criticisms, People have been making their views and opinions known. But again is emergency is emergency. Emergency is something that is unusual. Its emergent and it just came up and we had to respond the way we did”.
The retired soldier however agreed that there are concerns in some quarters but claimed that the president had to first react to the threats posed by these security concerns in that part of the country before considering other things.
He also claimed that the wheel of operation cannot be re-invented by the army, saying they can only improve on the present wheel obtainable.
Aliyu, who likened the crackdown to a ‘Project’ which has a time frame, expected deliverables and methodology of execution, said the authorities have a “herculean task’’ ahead of them.
He called on the people to support the army in carrying out the operation. He advocated for a Civilian- Military Relationship so as to enable all hands to be on deck to quell the insurgency.
He charged the soldiers to embark on some form of integration management with the social, cultural and religious practices of the people that occupy the states that the president has declared the state of emergency.
Aliyu also called on the soldiers to make themselves approachable and “see some positive and what I call cooperative responses”.
Aliyu further advocated for a lighter approach than the use of brute force to eliminate the insurgency launched by the militants against the federal government.
