WHY MILITARY ALONE CAN'T SOLVE NIGERIA'S SECURITY PROBLEMS - GEN TY BURATAI
Current Nigerian Ambassador to Benin Republic and former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (Rtd) has warned the Nigerian Federal Government against making the mistake of assuming Military might alone can resolve the country's security issues.
Gen. Buratai stated this yesterday as a Guest Lecturer at the combined convocation lecture of the Modibo Adama University of Science and Technology (MAUTECH), Yola.
In his lecture, Gen. Buratak informed the gathering that underdevelopment of the North-Eastearn region was the major factor fuelling insurgency and insecurity in the geopolitical zone.
He said the Nigerian Government and elite class have not paid attention to some critical issues like education and job creation in the zone, over the years. He noted that banditary and insurgency from the region is largely fueled by the availability of able hands who are basically idle, ignorant and unproductive, in the face of rising cost of livelihood.
He said; “Any country that does not ensure the development of its people would have security challenges. We should not rely on the military option as the only way to resolve our security challenges. We must address the ideological, economic, social, and political factors.
“My recent diplomatic foray has further sharpened my views on the urgent need for military, as well as non-military solution to the lingering and needless conflict”, he said.
The former Chief Of Army Staff also hinted that to resolve the security problems in Nigeria, it will require all hands on deck. He said it calls for the right political will, sacrifice and commitment of Government, civil society, traditional rulers, religious bodies and all stakeholders.
According to him, “Central to the argument of this paper is that security and development in the North-East should not be addressed individually but as one intrinsic element and that development is a requirement for stabilisation."
He said that fighting insurgency with military might alone is counter productive. He said it sometimes solves one problem while creating nine others at the same time.
Using the North-Easth of Nigeria as an example, Gen. Buratai said that the military exercises in the zone, although can be said to be generating positive results in terms of driving away insurgency, it has also come with a cost, in the sense that it leaves human, material casualties and displaced people along the line.
He pointed out that military solution to insurgency alone is another way of fueling insecurity itself because Agriculture, Commerce and industry gets hindered or destroyed in the process.
He encouraged the Nigerian Government at the Federal and State levels to explore non-military ways of curbing insecurity, by empowering the people and expanding their potentials in the first place.
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