April polls: Army, Air Force to provide support in crisis areas

Posted by admin Elections 2011 Thursday, March 17th, 2011

The Nigerian Army is one of the bodies committed to the success of the April elections. Last week, members of the 73 Battalion, (Janguza), Nigerian Army demonstrated their preparedness ahead of the 2011 April polls, during an in- house training code named Sabon Magana.

Sabon Magana was framed in line with the Chief of Army Staff’s vision to transform the Nigerian Army to a force better equipped with the resources and attitude to cope with contemporary challenges.

Officers displayed their worthiness in crowd dispersal drills, guarding of key points or facilities, the protection of very important persons, managing road blocks, screening of suspected vehicles as well as cordon and search operations, both during the day and in night hours. There were talk shops and explanations from superior officers.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Joseph Shoboiki, reminded the officers the general elections are very crucial to the image of the nation in the eyes of the international community. He commended and tasked them on need to be steadfast in their training as the bed rock of military discipline.

He noted that the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Azubuike Ihejirika, is passionate about training, hence the need for troops to put in more efforts as resources would not be spared to get troops trained to optimum level. He reminded the troops of the need to train more in peace time so as to bleed less in war. He said the essence of training is to enable troops get it right before they are called into action as there would not be room to tolerate errors while in action. Some errors, he also noted, have over time been very costly and sometimes, sadly irreversible.

Shoboiki enjoined the troops to exercise maximum restraint in the event the military is tasked to come to the aid of the civil society during the elections. Commander, 3 Brigade Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Emmanuel Abejirin, commended the officers of the Nigeria Police for their impressive participation in the training and remarked that while the police remained the lead agency in internal security operations, a synergy of efforts would be required to restore any break down of law and order, hence the continuous collaboration between the police and the army.

Abejirin assured the GOC of the Brigade’s readiness to be called out at any moment to the aid of the Nigeria Police, and urged commanding officers to ensure that no aspect of the training were left out.
He enjoined troops to be serious with whatever tasks that may be assigned to them during the elections and the need for troops to be trained all round as anybody could be tasked with any responsibility.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) also expressed its preparedness to provide air support services in crisis areas. This was disclosed at the 2011 Air Power Project Symposium at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State.

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Muhammad Dikko Umar, noted that the spate of bombings in recent times and the incidences of kidnap and abductions have thrown up new security challenges to the Nigerian Armed Forces, and as such there was the urgent need to device means of confronting the challenges:
“The NAF plays two roles in curtailing the frequent unrest and providing internal securities to assist the Nigerian Army and other security services involved in the patrol of the crisis -prone areas. The second role is the deployment of helicopters for surveillance show of force and medical evacuation of casualties of the crisis in the aid of civil authorities to curtail civil unrest in the country.”

He said that the middle cadre leaders and students of the institution must recognize their vital role of national defence policymaking process. To achieve that, the Air Chief disclosed that the NAF had recently gotten approval to re-establish a military Airlift Command, the re-designated Mobility Command with headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State:

“The Mobility Command was essentially established to improve the activities of military in the Niger Delta by providing strategic and tactical lift of the Nigerian Armed Forces. Air personnel will be deployed to man the platforms at Yenagoa and other units around the Niger Delta as well as provide air support operations for patrol and show of force in support of the joint task force and the police in the area.
“The concept of ‘jointness’ is fundamental to the success of modern warfare.

Therefore, in proffering solution to our problems, we must appreciate the challenges of the other services as well. The air power project provides a unique avenue that would help shape the development of the air force in repositioning the NAF in sustainable delivery of re-inforce national security in Nigeria.”

-Sunwp_posts