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A Special International Report
Prepared by
The Washington Times
Advertising Department - Published on September 30, 1999
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Sponsors (1) Federal Ministry of Finance
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Forging a new future
Having been the dominant Nigerian force since the mid-1960s, no civilian regime can ignore the military's institutional demands and proven ability to derail democracy and take over the reins of power.
The challenge of the new administration will be a complete overhaul of the Nigerian Armed Forces, including extensive retraining and downsizing to ensure a military that is professional while at the same time subservient to civilian authority.
“The incursion of the military into government has been a disaster for our country and for the military over the last 30 years,” Obasanjo said at his inauguration. “As a retired officer, my heart bleeds to see the degradation in the proficiency of the military. A great deal of reorientation has to be undertaken and a redefinition of roles, retraining and reeducation have to be done to ensure that the military submits to civil authority and regains its pride, professionalism and traditions."
Out with the Old
Leadership, as with any military, is the key to creating and maintaining a competent, professional force. The expulsion of Nigeria’s old guard is making way for a new generation of leaders who will focus upon creating a professional army, navy and air force while ridding the profession of political appointees from previous military regimes.
Loosely referred to as “political soldiers”, their presence led to widespread corruption as well as a deep divide between career soldiers and those using the military as a stepping stone to political and financial gain.
During a farewell tour before handing over power to the newly elected government, former military premier General Abdulsami Abubakar said the military must return to barracks and assume its role of “securing and maintaining the territorial integrity of Nigeria by land, air and sea.”
Obasanjo, as a former general and the only military leader to hand over power to civilian rule before Abubakar, is viewed by many as able to compromise between the military’s needs and the demands of civilian rule.
Although the transition to civil rule may lead to a lessening of the military’s political influence, the large number of retired senior officers who play leading political and economic roles will continue as a factor of political reality.
One of the Defense Ministry’s missions will be to help retrain those who have been retired for civilian jobs. “We are hoping both the U.S. and the U.K. will assist us in preparing the people to return to civilian life,” Defense Minister General Yakubu Danjuma said. And while everything is now in the formative stages, Danjuma says the government’s preference is to train them for self-employment rather than leaving them to find jobs in a tight market. “This will of course require capital to start with but our thrust is toward this area,” he said.
Although questions remain as to the future of those remaining mid-level officers associated with past abuses, many believe the Nigerian Armed Forces now has the potential to become a stabilizing factor in the evolution of democracy.
Professional Force
They have traditionally also been charged with supporting and reinforcing the border security efforts of the immigration and customs departments, providing internal security along with police and local law enforcement authorities, and with contributing to nation-building through the inculcation of patriotism and technical skills.
Long the sole arbiter of power in this resource-rich country, today's armed forces are the direct descendants of colonial military units. The officer corps was made fully indigenous by the mid-1960s, and by 1990 the Nigerian military was among the largest and most professional in Africa.
Both the national functions and the international peacekeeping role of the armed forces have expanded significantly but remain subject to several constraints. Despite having embarked on a program of military industrialization in the 1980s, Nigeria is still heavily dependent on foreign arms.
For Obasanjo’s government, the challenge remains to de-politicize the military and build upon existing foundations to create a competent, professional force designed to meet the national security needs of the 21st century.
“I believe the message that politics is out has filtered through the ranks,” said a U.S. official. “I think former service chiefs did an excellent job of preparing their forces for the transition to democracy.”
According to Danjuma, the message has been relayed through actions more than words. “People see their seniors’ career curtailed midstream and they know it is a bad omen,” Danjuma said. “We don’t articulate it as such but somehow the message gets through that if you are inclined to be a politician in uniform you may not have a full carreer.”
The key now, will be to ensure the military has a clear definition of its role under a civilian government. “The first and most major act was to retire all the officers who held executive posts in the political sphere,” Danjuma said. “The next step is to reprofessionalize the military by retraining them and subordinating the military budget to civilian supervision.”
Training for the Future
With the imposition of sanctions, access to Western training and war colleges ceased with a subsequent impact upon the professional training of the officer corps. Outside of ECOMOG troops being trained under fire in operations in Sierra Leone, little effective combat training was provided for the average soldier.
The move toward democracy promises to rekindle old ties. According to a U.S. official, the Nigerian military is eager to have its personnel attend U.S. schools.
“We will appreciate vacancies in almost all the core schools – schools of armor, artillery, signals – we hope these will be restored and we will be sending our men [to the U.S.],” Danjuma said.
In a new twist, and in light of current strains on American capabilities to train foreign soldiers –given its commitments in the Balkans and elsewhere, Nigeria is now open to small U.S. training teams coming to Nigeria to conduct in-country training. This not only offers a reduced training period but also helps Nigerians familiarize themselves with the realities of the existing equipment and other tactical as well as logistical issues unique to operating in West Africa.
Danjuma says, for the bulk of the training, it is the method of choice. This, however, will require significant re-equipping of the country’s training facilities, he said.
“All the training aids are out of date and most of it is not functioning; they need to be refitted for training the bulk of the men here,” Danjuma said. “The thrust of the training will be vacancies in U.S. schools for some of our men and local training here.”
During a June courtesy call on new Defense Chief Rear Admiral Ibrahim Ogohi, U.S. Ambassador William Twadell said that Washington was ready to train Nigerian military officers under the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program. In fact, foreign military sales (FMS) funds remaining from the Abacha era were recently used to send four Nigerian officers to the U.S. for training. According to a U.S. official, a more comprehensive training plan is being drafted to accommodate Nigerian requirements through Fiscal Year 2000.
Key indigenous training institutions include the national tri-service Nigerian Military University, the Command and Staff College, and the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies. In addition, each service maintains extensive training programs for its own needs.
The central pillar, however, is the Nigerian Military University. Founded in 1964 in Kaduna as the Nigerian Defense Academy, it was upgraded and re-designated the national Nigerian Military University in 1985, awarding its first degrees in September 1988.
Defending Budgets
Financial constraints remain a major restriction on military modernization. Economic difficulties delay new equipment acquisitions, hindering the growth of a domestic defense industry, reducing training, and magnifying logistical and maintenance shortfalls. A lack of streamlining in Nigeria’s procurement policy and dependence on various suppliers makes standardization difficult, compounding logistical problems.
Defining the role and necessary budget is one of the Defense Ministry’s greatest challenges and priorities. A private-sector U.S. corporation, Military Professional Resources Incorporated (MPRI), has been assisting the Nigerian government in formulating the military’s missions – with respect to national security interests and threat perception – and designing a force to meet those needs.
MPRI, under a 90-day contract sponsored by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Office of Transition Initiatives (INEC), is also assisting the government – Ministry of Defense – and the military in developing institutional knowledge as to how the military will interact with its civilian leaders, how to formulate and present a budget to the National Assembly and the basic administrative tasks that go into running an efficient military.
In global terms Nigeria's level of "militarization" is remarkably low and has been decreasing since the mid-1970s. According to a survey of 144 countries compiled by the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA), Nigeria's ranking on five key measures of "militarization" declined sharply between 1975 and 1985. The nation’s average global ranking on indicators of "military buildup" (armed forces per 1,000 population and the ratios of military expenditure to GNP, central government expenditure, population, and armed forces) fell from 47 in 1975 to 88 in 1980, and to 118 in 1985.
“Nigeria is looking at what the threat internally and externally is and what it wants to design the forces for,” a U.S. official said. “The American team visiting currently from MPRI private sector corporation is here exactly to help them come to terms with what shall be the mission of the armed forces and then what kind of force they need in order to execute that kind of mission.”
Capabilities
Although the politicization of the military and its focus on internal security undermined its professional evolution and hurt operational readiness, Nigeria’s large and relatively well-equipped armed forces are capable of defending the country against any likely external threat, as well as projecting power in the region. Prior to the Persian Gulf war of 1989-90, Nigeria was the only country in West-Central Africa to mount and sustain military operations abroad.
The Nigerian military has traditionally been focused on the army. The present army structure consists of one armored division with two mechanized divisions armed with an array of equipment. The army will likely remain the focus of Nigeria’s training and modernization efforts. Although the army had been cut by more than half since 1970, its firepower and mobility have increased considerably. The other services have grown little, but have increased in number and sophistication.
Nigeria has increasingly asserted its maritime interests and long-range goal of becoming a regional naval power. Nigeria accounts for approximately 70 percent of sea-borne trade in West and Central Africa, while 70 percent of its petroleum production comes from six offshore oil platforms.
With the growth of maritime and regional interests, the navy expanded its mission from coastal defense to sea-lane protection and acquired modest amphibious and anti-submarine warfare capabilities. Likewise, the air force moved to improve its ability to conduct ground attack, air support, interdiction, air defense, airlift and air mobility operations.
As to the future, Obasanjo has expressed a desire to see the Nigerian military become smaller and more mobile. While a certain amount of prestige is perceived in retaining an “armor heavy” force, logistical realities have to be considered when designing a sustainable force for the future.
“I would like to see a fully professionalized armed forces, well equipped, compact and completely and totally subordinated to the civil authority,” Danjuma said. “And one that backs up the police force in times of crisis.”
To that end, Danjuma said the armed forces will be paired down by some 30,000 men. “We hope to reduce the size of the military to a total strength of about 50,000 – army 30,000, navy 10,000, air force 10,000. Right now we have about 80,000,” he said.
The decision, says Danjuma stems from economic reasons. “We can not afford too large an army,” he said. “If we equip a smaller better trained army it would do the same, or even a better job than a large army that is not equipped and is immobile and can’t function properly.”
Obasanjo pointed to the need for Western assistance in the refurbishment or replacement of Nigeria’s medium-lift transport aircraft. Currently, only one of eight C-130 Hercules aircraft is operational, creating a tremendous strain on Nigeria’s ability to re-supply troops in outlying areas as well as those deployed in regional peacekeeping operations. The C-130s, casualties of Abacha-era sanctions, are awaiting a maintenance assessment to determine whether the aircraft are repairable or require replacing. Indeed, the primary reason for Nigeria’s push to upgrade its medium-lift capability is to support their operations in Guinea Bissau, Liberia and Sierra Leone as well as any future ECOMOG-sponsored mission. Up until now, Nigerian units in the field have had to rely on charter aircraft for this critical role.
In terms of acquisitions, Chief of Army Staff, Air Vice Marshall Isaac Alfa has already voiced an interest in acquiring a new multi-role fighter aircraft to replace its defunct fleet of MiG 21s and 15 series Sepe Cat Jaguar and G222. The air force has about 20 MiG aircraft, including some two-seater Mig 214, MiG-15 UTIs and Mig 21U Mongol. Alfa said the Nigerian air force is looking at Lockheed Martin’s F16s, but they are also talking to the Russians about Fukhoi 27s and the French about Mirage 2000s. For now, however, it is likely the military continue to find its role, with the assistance of MPRI, before making any decisions about acquisitions.
According to a U.S. official, the Nigerian military has drawn up a tentative wish list of U.S. equipment but is waiting to define its mission and determine the extent of its budget before making any decisions.
A Regional Player
The Nigerian military has acted as a positive force within the region.
In 1989 the army established a rapid deployment force to be used in any contingency, particularly in neighboring African countries. Nigerian spokesmen stressed that the force was not intended to intimidate Nigeria's neighbors, but to fight external and internal threats. Its involvement in Sierra Leone’s civil war, through ECOMOG, has helped lead to recent hopes for a lasting end to the bloodletting.
However, without international funding, Danjuma says Nigeria may no longer be able to sustain the same level of involvement in peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations.
“We are becoming the U.S. of ECOMOG,” he said. “The role the U.S. plays in NATO Nigeria is in ECOMOG at very great expense…We think that is undesirable.”
If Nigeria is to continue in its current role, it will require significant funding from the international community. Overall, however, it hopes to redefine its role in ECOMOG to one of equals rather than leadership. “We will want to play a role as equals maybe not in terms of numbers but the almost a unilateral role we are playing right now has exposed us too much,” Danjuma said.
Civilian Perceptions
Attitudes toward the military in Nigeria have historically been ambivalent. Despite repeated interventions, the military has remained intact as an institution and has not succumbed to radicalization; it has ruled firmly and, with a few notable exceptions, humanely; and it has made the restoration of stable civilian rule a high priority. There is little doubt that with the conviction of the new regime, the military will soon return to its place in Nigerian society as an efficient, organized and highly professional force charged with defending rather than defining Nigeria’s future.
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Table of Contents (1) It's a new dawn over Nigeria |
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Nigeria’s military, having ruled for more than 20 of the country’s 39 years of independence, is facing an uncertain future as a civilian government slowly begins to exert its authority. Although President Olusegun Obasanjo has taken several steps to curb the military’s thirst for power, the balance between civilian rule and the military’s political role will remain a critical indicator of democracy’s progress.
Since assuming the presidency on May 29, Obasanjo has initiated a series of steps aimed at ridding the military of senior officers associated with previous abuses. More than 140 senior and mid-level military and police officers were either forced or voluntarily retired in June. The men were political appointees from previous regimes, and their removal is seen as the first major step in reorienting the military toward a professional, de-politicized force.
The armed forces' mission is to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation and other African states against external aggression, while contributing to international peace and security through service in multilateral peacekeeping operations of the United Nations (UN), the Organization for African Unity (OAU), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), or other prospective pan-African military operations.
Over the years Nigeria has traditionally relied on Western countries for training, supplies and technology, but relations became strained under successive military regimes. Following the transition to democracy, the U.S. suspended sanctions imposed during the rule of military dictator General Sani Abacha.