BY Yabo Chris Ephraim
It is said that the reward for hard work is more work. With consistency, resilience, diligence and dedication to duty, the Nigerian Army has blocked the routes of terrorists supplies, closing in and restricting them to an uncomfortable space, freed many hostages, arrested dozens of kidnappers, cattle rustlers and other criminal elements thereby gradually reducing the threat and tension generated by insecurity to the barest minimum. I said this because there is no nation that is crime free, what is expected is to bring the security challenges to a manageable proportion which Nigeria’s security agencies have so far commendably achieved.
Many politicians, social commentators, right activists and other groups with vested interest, who are praise singers to the terrorists and criminal elements no longer have something to cheer and praise as the general security situation of the country has been brought under control.This wouldn’t have been achieved if the Nigerian Army under the able leadership of Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai allowed all the distractions, negative propaganda and misrepresentation to interfere with their vision, focus and clear judgement.
It would seem that these category of social commentators, politicians and activists often go silent when there is a relative peace and whenever it is obvious that the security forces are winning the battle against the insurgents and other criminals in Nigeria. Probably they benefit more from insecurity as it has now obviously become a lucrative enterprise to mislead, confuse and set the public against the government and security agencies.
So much is going on in this quiet time to turn the tides against insecurity in our country. The army control and command structure is on a regular basis being monitored, assessed and rejigged by the Chief of Army Staff for greater Professionalism and effectiveness. The field officers, commanding officers and senior non commissioned officers amongst other personnel of the army have been regularly posted out and into the various theatres of Operations across the nation. More intelligence is being gathered and those who sponsor and fund terrorism and insecurity are being trailed through collaboration with relevant agencies and sister security organisations.
The Nigerian Army is not an institution that thrive on noisemaking and unnecessary distractions. Those who want to distract and engage the Nigerian Army in noisemaking will be utterly disappointed because there is little time available for such trivialities in the Nigerian army’s permutations. The job requires utmost selfless service, concentration, calculation, bravery, gallantry, discipline, skills and tact.
It is however uncharitable that the mission, blood and sacrifices of the officers and men of the Nigerian Army which should be appreciated is turned into a debate of contradictions. With many spewing hateful comments and dwelling on mundane issues such as the tenure of service chiefs. As the result of the consistent onslaughts against terrorists, criminal elements and their collaborators are beginning to manifest, there is hope in the horizon. The forces of darkness are losing grip and our troops are unrelenting. This must be sustained despite hitches here and there notwithstanding. The job of defending our country is the hallmark of patriotism. This deserve the support and cooperation of all Nigerians.
