•elections will hold in southeast, Gen. Irabor insists
The Federal Government on Monday announced that it has saved about N158 billion from crude oil theft due to the operations of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) in the Niger Delta region.
Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd), disclosed this while featuring at the 25th edition of the President Muhammadu Buhari Scorecard media series in Abuja.
He observed that the military has performed creditably well in the fight against crude oil theft and illegal oil bunkering, deactivating in the process, 5,840 Illegal refining sites cumulatively from 2015 to date.
He said over 6 million barrels of crude oil, about 1.2 billion litres of Automative Gas Oil, 24 million litres of Dual Purpose Kerosine and about 3 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit were seized from oil thieves.
Magashi, who gave key administration achievements in the defence sector from 2015 to 2023, regretted that the nation’s armed forces have been overstretched in deployment.
Beyond that, he listed other challenges facing the fight against insecurity including inadequate manpower and lack of inter-agency synergy among others.
The Minister stated: “The AFN is overstretched in manpower and equipment as they are deployed to all internal security operations across the country.”
While noting that the troops are now first and second lines of defence, he added: “Troops are currently deployed in different theatres performing such roles as roadblocks, security of infrastructure and guard duties for VIPs.
“This is in addition to their other commitments in CTCOIN and UN operation.”
On the issue of inadequate manpower, General Magashi revealed that as of 2022, Nigeria with an estimated population of over 200 million, has a total military strength of about 223,000 personnel, representing a ratio of 1:1,000.
He pointed out that the Republic of Chad, in contrast, has a ratio of 3.4:1,000 and South Africa 1.5:1,000.
However, he noted that the recent approval for an increase in the recruitment of personnel in the AFN boosted the manpower strength, “but there is a need for sustenance of the recruitment drive to increase the ratio.”
As for the lack of inter-agency synergy, the Minister said that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have been noted “to compete to emerge as the masses’ favourite or the ones that are most effective in terms of discharging their responsibilities.
“They battle each other to assert superiority and dominance. This constitutes a major threat to internal security and national cohesion.
“It also accounts for budgetary wastage, duplication of functions, mutual suspicion, and encroachment on each other’s constitutional mandate.”
Similarly, he spoke of the inefficiency in civil-military relations, noting: “The AFN faces suspicion and distrust from members of the public and other key stakeholders during IS operations. This is attributable to poor public perception of the military.”
He said a Civil Security Coordination (CISEC) Framework was introduced in November 2019 to coordinate civil-military activities between the AFN and other civilian stakeholders.
Another challenge he highlighted was budgetary constraints, which according to him, “Ministry of Defence, like other MDAs, is placed on the envelop system of budgeting in which a fixed amount is appropriated annually.
“The system limits the allocation to the Ministry and has hampered the acquisition of essential platforms, equipment and logistics required to boost operations in the Defence sector
“It has also limited recruitment and essential training programs in the ministry.”
Looking to the future, Magashi spoke of consistent recruitment of about 19,000 soldiers/ratings and airmen bi-annually, expansion of the Military Industrial Complex, the establishment of an Aviation Technology City and establishment of a world-class Quatinery Hospital in Nigeria similar to the Walter Reed Hospital in the US.
He also said that there will be the establishment of an Education Management Information System in MOD and the Armed Forces Schools and implementation of the Global Safe Schools Declaration in the Armed Forces Schools.
Responding to questions at the event, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, assured that the election will hold in the southeast despite current security challenges in the region.
“The armed forces are working in concert with the Police and other security agencies to ensure that the menace of criminalities from IPOB and Eastern Security Network are eliminated,” he declared.
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