A retired Brigadier General says the continuous dragging of the Nigerian military into politics by politicians and opinion leaders is a dangerous trend that should end.
Williams Obene, a counter terrorist expert, said that the situation had reached an alarming rate, stressing that the military has the interest of the nation at heart.
“Nigerian military did not come down from heaven or hell. They came from the Nigerian society.
“They have defended the territorial integrity of the nation. The best thing that has happened to the Nigerian military is democracy, which re-professionalised the military.
“The Nigerian Military has the interest of this nation at heart and they cannot take decisions on their own,” he said.
“Why don’t we give the military a chance. The most patriotic people in Nigeria today are the military.
“Let politicians be a little bit circumspect and allow the military to do their job.
“We are part of the stakeholders either in uniform or outside the uniform as far as this country is concerned,” Brigadier General Obene said.
On the issue of insecurity and efforts of the military to end the terrorist incursion in the north-east, he said that the military was collaborating with neighbouring countries troops to tackle the insurgency, stressing that the collaboration would create a reasonable stability position for the people to go out and cast their votes.
“Election is very important in the continuity of this nation and the military is doing its best to ensure that there is peace.”
He stated that the concentration of the military on internal operation had started to weaken the military just like the police force.
“Every road block had been taken over by the military,” Brigadier General Obene stressed, pointing out the need for the police to be strengthened to take face their responsibility.
The retired military official expressed optimism that the collaboration between troops from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger would yield needed result in weeks, but decried the fact that the collaboration efforts and moves were in the pages of the newspapers.
“It is a vital operation and being in the pages of the newspaper is very unfortunate. I hope it is not propaganda,” Brigadier General Obene added.
