North’s Insecurity and Gen. Musa’s Strategic Engagements
By Abdulsalam Mahmud
In the last 10 years and even upward, the Northern part of the country has been the hotbed of violent insecurity. The region’s plate is full as it contends with the Boko Haram and Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, terrorism, armed banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and herder-farmers’ duels, among others.
In the recent appointment of Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa as the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, however, there is a glimmer of hope that the end of the insecurity afflicting not only the North, but the nation entirely, is nigh. The belief of many security pundits, is that the Nigerian military is now in the safe, trusted and capable hand of a war-tested general.
But typical of the self-effacing Gen. CG Musa, he won’t thumb his chest and boasts of having the magic wand for the nation’s insecurity dilemma. Rather, he was even humbled to acknowledge the enormity of liberating Nigeria and its citizens from criminal groups, immediately he took over the affairs of the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, in June.
Gen. Musa explained that the myriad of security challenges bedeviling Nigeria calls for a more succinct approach towards mitigating the issues. He expressed his unwavering commitment towards ensuring a conducive and secure environment for the protection of lives and properties for socio-economic activities to thrive.
He said: “In this regard, the broad outline of my leadership concept shall be “To Nurture a Professional Armed Forces of Nigeria that is People – Centric, Collaborative and Capable of Meeting its Constitutional Responsibilities in a Joint Environment”.
According to the Defence Chief, the Nigerian Armed Forces, under his leadership, will be people-centric. It will prioritize and safeguard the Nigerian people and their legitimate way of life as prescribed by the Nigerian Constitution, Gen. Musa assured.
His words: “Accordingly, the AFN will apply the lens of people-centricity to key components of activities to truly put the Nigerian people at the centre of its actions geared towards promoting and safeguarding a secure environment for all.
“To achieve this, the AFN will proactively defend our territorial integrity and democracy as well as safeguard internal security and unity to achieve the stability required to guarantee sustainable national development”.
As part of getting the buy-in of critical stakeholders for his leadership agenda on fostering national peace and security, Gen. Musa has engaged with the National Mosque Chief Imam and President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, where he sought their collaboration for tackling religious extremism and intolerance, through well-articulated evangelism and Islamic crusades, among adherents of the two religion.
Radical views expressed by some fanatical persons is what birthed terrorism in our dear Nigeria, just like in Afghanistan and Somalia, among several other world nations. Thus, the engagement between the CDS and the religious bodies is one strategic way of boosting the insecurity war, through the paradigm of spiritualism.
Having met with Gen. Musa, it is hoped that the clergymen of CAN and the National Mosque, will mobilize the collective support of Nigerian Muslims and Christians for our military forces and security agencies. The wanton attacks of bandits and gunmen on Zamfara and Plateau citizens have since assumed a worrisome dimension.
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But in their search for a permanent solution, Governors Dauda Lawal Dare and Caleb Muftwang, were August visitors of the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, sometime in July. At the DHQ, they engaged Gen. Musa over the atrocities of bandits and terror herders, who have maimed thousands of lives and sacked dozen villages in both Zamfara and Plateau.
Assuring both Governors Dare and Muftwang of the Nigerian military’s effective synergy, the Defence Chief, noted that the days of criminals terrorizing the people of Zamfara and Plateau are numbered. He said troops are committed to pounding terrorists and suspected gunmen, noting that general insecurity across the land will soon become a thing of the past.
The attack on several communities and abduction of students in Niger State predates the incumbent administration of Governor Muhammad Umar Bago. But the serving Niger Governor is not resting on his laurels to fix the security challenge of the State. Like his colleague-Governors of Zamfara and Plateau, he has also gotten the support of Gen. Musa.
The Defence Chief, while hosting Bago and his entourage who paid him a courtesy visit last month, assured that the Armed Forces of Nigeria remain strong, committed and steadfast in the discharge of its constitutional mandates. He also acknowledged the support of the State Government towards the military and assured the governor of the Nigerian Armed Forces’ readiness to assist Niger State.
Earlier, Governor Bago, who noted that Niger State has the largest land mass in Nigeria, also added that the state is very close to Abuja. He said this proximity to the capital city and the fact that Niger State is surrounded by a lot of ungoverned spaces, calls for security concerns.
In furtherance, the reception party at the DHQ also welcomed, albeit separately, Governors Uba Sani and Abdullahi Sule. The Governors, desirous of partnering with the Nigerian military to effectively rid their States of criminal elements, sought the cooperation of Gen. CG Musa.
Governor Sule in particular, said that with the discovery of litanium deposit in Nasarawa, another security risk looms with the potential activities of illegal miners, if measures are not put in place to regulate litanium mining activities.
Gen. Musa, while responding, assured Governor Sule of the military support to Nasarawa State which he said, is strategically close to the nation’s capital. The Defence Chief also emphasized the need to put all necessary regulatory control on mining activities in the State to forestall security breaches.
As for Governor Sani of Kaduna, where the CDS hails from, the State is the heart of Northern Nigeria, which needs relative peace and harmony to economically thrive. He added that the State is willing to support the Armed Forces with local intelligence and any other necessary assistance, to enable the military discharge its constitutional responsibilities unhindered.
The CDS in his response, assured the governor of the military’s commitment to supporting all parts of Nigeria, especially Kaduna state to combat insecurity. He said that the kinetic and non-kinetic approach of troops’ operations will be strengthened to boost the fight against insecurity, across the country.
It is a no-brainer that security threats in the North defied solutions in the past, fundamentally due to the absence of a robust synergy among critical stakeholders. However, that narrative is gradually changing for the better, thanks to Gen. CG Musa’s visionary leadership as Head of Nigeria’s military forces. The Defence Chief is strategically engaging concerned Northern elites, to brainstorm on ways to restore tranquility and security in the troubled region.
That appears to be his preoccupation, since he emerged as CDS. And that, perhaps, may just be the game changer for the war against North’s insecurity – which already, is pervasive.
Mahmud is the Deputy Editor of PRNigeria, and wrote in via: [email protected].
