Ex-Service Men To The Rescue

Some retired military officers, according to media reports, have made a case for the recall of ex-service men fit enough to assist in the ongoing war against terrorism, banditry and other forms of criminality that pose a huge challenge to the nation’s security situation. Their experience, the retired officers argue, can be useful in the training of younger service men and women. We dare to add that if recalled, they can also assist in those areas that active servicemen are presently expending their useful energy.

This will not be the first time that informed members of the public are making this case. Individuals most of them ex-service men, have had to suggest this as one of the ways of energising the deteriorating capacity of the gallant armed forces. The only difference is that this latest advice to the government is coming from an association of retired senior officers, a collective, who are genuinely concerned that the security situation in the country is going down badly and who feel that these ex-service men can do their own bit to halt the drift.

This call by this crop of retired officers is coming at an opportune time. It is obvious to most Nigerians who have been following the operations of the military in the last decade that they actually need help of whatever form. There is also no gainsaying it that the soldiers are over-stretched as they engage in other activities that are not essentially their calling. The institution is established to defend the nation against external aggression, internal dissention as well as protect her territorial integrity.

But in recent times, the military have become active in all manner of duties that seem to divert their attention from their core mandate. It is a common sight to see soldiers performing traffic duties, being used in election and other functions that deviate from their calling as the last resort in matters of national security.

In other climes, active service men do not get involved in such duties until their discharge from service except, of course, in situations of national emergency. When discharged and they are strong enough, they can be deployed to the fire service, coast guard, drug law enforcement and other arms of the security machinery as may be deemed necessary.

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In the opinion of this newspaper, the war on terror is dragging needlessly because the military’s attention is diverted and their resources spread dangerously thin. They are not focused enough to deal decisively with the threat those criminal elements constitute to the country’s security and well-being.

We are by no means denying the patriotic roles and sacrifices these men and women of the armed forces have made and are still making to bring the malady under effective control. We are not denying that they give their utmost even with limited resources.

The argument we are persuaded to put forward is that the military deserves to be equipped adequately to face the major challenge of ridding the nation of the nefarious activities of non-state actors insisting on destabilising the polity. Part of this process include but not limited to recalling their comrades in arm who had previously played their own part and form a pool of the nation’s reserve forces. It also includes expanding the personnel platform through an aggressive recruitment drive that will bring into the service young men and women ready and willing to do the needful to defend their fatherland.

Similarly, to make the military as effective as is desirable, the service must be earnestly relieved of all non-military functions that are more competently handled by the Police, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and such other para-military outfits that adorn the landscape.

In doing this, in our opinion, those other services must be sufficiently strengthened to live up their own calling. The military, in our view, is doing part of Police duty because that force is incapacitated by the lack of essential tools of their trade that could have, under normal circumstances, made them a strong operational force, effective enough to make the intervention of the military out of place.

We recall that there were proposals suggesting the engagement of mercenaries to join forces with the military to rid the nation of the burden that these criminals constitute. This newspaper had, previously, on this page, made a strong case against that idea which we still consider a waste of resources on those who are essentially soldiers of fortune. They hardly win wars because they don’t fight to finish and are not ready to make the supreme sacrifice.

It is from this perspective that this newspaper considers the suggestion by these retired officers as a more viable alternative and a vital contribution to the efforts to extirpate terrorism and banditry. However, the recall must not be a blanket offer open to all. Some of those to be recalled could have lost touch with the reality of military life and may become a problem all of their own. They must be screened intensely and, if found fit, engaged to serve again.