Capt. Jauro Musa Liya (Rtd)

Nigeria has seen quite a number of great generals as Chief of Army Staff. Some were admirable professionals, some strived, some did just their best, while some were quite amazing.

Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai on many occasions exhibited such rare amazing act of professionalism, bravery, kindness and humility. Just on Sunday the 26th of July 2020, General Buratai had lunch with the Wounded – In – Action soldiers of the Nigerian Army (NA) at the 44 Reference Hospital, Kaduna. It was at a sit out reportedly organized by the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital and approved by the Chief of Army Staff where he again used the opportunity to show symbolic act of compassion, humility and commitment to the welfare of NA personnel when he personally served them meals at the occasion.

This generous and humble act may be considered simple and inconsequential, but it is symbolic in many ways. Like the biblical washing of the disciple’s feet by Jesus Christ, and the recent gesture of kissing the shoes of the two South Sudanese warring leaders by Pope Francis, – they all appear simple but have far reaching effect that transforms the mind through love and compassion and that is one major aspect of effective military leaders.

In military permutations, optimism is a force multiplier, and a team won’t believe it succeed unless it’s leaders believe it. Such is the kind of optimism that Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai carries whenever he steps into the battle field. When it’s cold, wet or dangerous, he steps into it with the soldiers, being literally visible in front of the team at war times. This shows the kind of commitment that is needed to boost the morale of the soldiers.
It was remarkable how just a few words from the Army Chief gave so much joy and happiness to the wounded soldiers and inspired them into feeling better, with some pledging and many vowed to go back to the battle field and face the enemy after recovery.

This kind of regular interaction with the soldiers helps in addressing grievances and wrong perceptions before they result to undesirable consequences.

The ingenuity, fairness and charisma of the Nigeria’s Army Chief has really bonded and stabilized the NA. There is no doubt General Buratai is a strong pillar, the architect and stabilizing factor for the modern day NA. He has so far succeeded in installing professionalism, respect for others and substantially improved accountability and transparency in the NA Procurement, salaries and allowances which enabled the Army to remain monolithic and committed to selflessly and commendably serve the country.

It is not easy or possible to meet the expectations of everyone on the NA especially given the critical circumstances and systemic rot Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai inherited when he took over as Chief of Army Staff. It took sheer faith, courage, administrative prowess and exemplary leadership to keep the NA above the waters and succeed in war against terrorism and insurgency to the level of peace we are enjoying in Nigeria today despite periodic reports of banditry or terrorist attacks.

Before his appointment as Army Chief, anarchy was looming in Nigeria, resources meant for purchase of modern equipment and weapons were squandered, civil-military relations was at an all time low, soldiers’ morale was visibly low and nothing was done to revive the morale of the troops through show of care, compassion and leadership with example.

Those who saw the rots in the military at that time gave up and concluded doom for Nigeria. Hence, the amazing feat of keeping the Nigerian flag flying, – recovering lost territories from Boko Haram Terrorists really beats the imagination of naysayers. That is why anti government forces have resorted to sponsoring isolated cases of rebellion against the army with a few misguided elements abusing the military leadership, some conspiring to create insecurity or cause tension through fake news and negative false media reportage.

From the foregoing, as a retired army officer who fought gallantly to keep this country united and peaceful, I hereby condemn the activities of detractors of Nigerian Armed Forces – those who use various means to create chaos or the spread of negative information through the media to discredit or undermine the efforts of the military in securing Nigeria. May we all support and cooperate with the officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies in their efforts at ridding Nigeria of terrorists and other criminal elements hibernating in Nigeria. May our national efforts in ensuring a peaceful and secured nation continue to be successful to the point we achieve the end of this madness in our nation.