Nigeria Is Under External Attack – Col. Ogbebor

By Oladipo Airenakho

Pioneer Cadet of the Nigerian Defense Academy (NDA), Retired Colonel Paul Ogbebor has placed the blame of Nigeria Army’s inability to defeat Boko Haram insurgency on President Goodluck Jonathan.

As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, he said President Goodluck Jonathan should by now have realized that the insecurity currently pervading parts of the country was no longer an internal issue, but naked external aggression by foreign forces.

Retired Col. Ogbebor made the assertions in Benin City, Edo State Monday, while speaking at the presentation of his book, ’’Nigerian Defense Academy: A Pioneer Cadet’s Memoirs.’’

According to him, unlike the belief by many Nigerians that the army is incapable, the leadership of the army only needed to be issued the right order by the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces for effective action against the foreign forces operating under the guise of Boko Haram.

The Veteran soldier-turned author also believed that the knowledge acquired from military trainings made retired army officers better disposed to being good decision makers and leaders in civil life compared with non-military trained persons, most especially those involved in leading their country.

He said this was the reason why citizens of countries, such as the United States of America were more inclined to vote a retired army officer as their president than an individual without any military experience.

Such countries as Israel and Switzerland, he said, were other examples of nations that have incorporated their entire civilian populations into its military training programs, so much that their societies are the better for it today.

This, according to him, is contrary to what obtains in Nigeria where the civilian population sees the military profession as only a death sentence, and a no go area.

He strongly canvassed the application of some aspects of military principles in helping the country’s developmental stride as has been done in other advance nations of the world.

‘’Soldiers are equipped for so many things. Principle of wars is useful in business, politics, and social interactions and so on.

In Israel and Switzerland, everyone is a soldier. When you blow a whistle you mobilize the mass of the citizenry of these countries.”

That is why I thought every Nigerian should have the opportunity of knowing about how the military operates and in so doing better understand how such retired personnel could be better deployed for civilian service.

Nigerian army, like its counterparts worldwide has only one unique training mode, he said, and they all recognize only friendly forces and enemy forces.

If therefore Nigeria is to win the war against Boko Haram insurgents then the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces has to change strategy and tactic to deal with its foe which has been identified as external.’’

Previous internal security arrangement has failed to recognize the nature of the threat to Nigeria, he said, and the country’s leadership needs to act fast and deal with the situation.