Nigeria’s leaders undermining national security — Tony Nyiam
ony Nyiam, a retired Colonel of the Nigerian Army, came into limelight on April 22, 1990, when he and some other army officers attempted to overthrow the military administration of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida in a coup.
Nyiam was also a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee, PAC, that packaged the 2014 National Conference.
In this interview, he discusses insecurity in the country and proffers a way forward. Exerpts:
What is your take on the security situation in the country, the killings across Nigeria, the kidnappings and other forms of insecurity?
In answer to your question: it’s very sad that I cannot say that the state of Nigerians’ insecurity will reduce soon. For one, there are no social, political and economic frameworks to enable the containment, not to mention the degrading of the threat to both our national security, and our local communities’ security, to happen.
The soldiers are doing their best. One would have, however, wished that former President Muhammadu Buhari, a military General as the President and C-in-C, would have taken the appropriate actions. Those of us with high military training background have been trained to find solutions to the challenges which arise from military forces finding themselves to be “too thin on the ground” in their area of operations. It was a missed opportunity that the political leadership, that’s the Highest Command of the Nigerian Armed Forces, failed woefully to rise to its responsibility. The danger of the existence of the soldiers of the Nigerian Armed Forces in being too small in numbers vis-a-vis, the Nigerian population, is one of the problems.
The Nigerian State made up of the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary, and the ministries, departments, and agencies of the Federal Government such as the Armed Forces, Security and Intelligence Services, Foreign, Police, Custom and Excise, Inland Revenue, Immigration, Prisons, Civil Aviation, Fire-Services, Forestry Services are all part of the problem. The Nigerian State should be the servant of the Nigerian people and not the other way round. As has been the case, since we last had national election, things have not improved.
The greatest danger to the Nigerian national security’ comes, ironically, from the over 45 years old, and still existing.
The Nigerian State as it has, for decades, functioned is the source of the most dangerous threats to our national security, and in turn, national stability.
It is not only because of the forceful replacement of the Godly endowed ethnic-nations of Nigeria, with the human-construct nation-state but the current Nigerian State is an incubator of neo-colonialism, oligarchy and consequently, a facilitator of illicit enrichment by its top, so-called ‘public officials’. The Executive, Legislature, Judiciary and the supposed law enforcement agencies, the armed forces, the security services, have as a result, institutionalised corruption into their modes of operation so much so that the vital assets of national security have become commodities for sale to the highest bidder.
We have repeatedly seen publicly displayed, the turning of a few key Nigerian national security assets as commodities to be sold such as during national elections which are supposed to be conducted transparently, and in a free and fair way. What we often find are undisputed allegations of the bribing of top military, and other national security officers to allow the personnel under their commands to be used to protect election rigging.
There are other forms of buying and selling of crucial assets of the Nigerian security establishment. For instance, the procurement of security details from the Nigeria Police has become institutionalised. This has become so rampant that the Nigeria Police officers perform best when deployed as orderlies to very important personalities (VIPs).
The renting out of arms by military personnel and police officers to dangerous criminals for a fee, has often been reported. This has been reported by, even, the top officials of some of the national security agencies. Two evidences come to mind. First in the words of a then Inspector- General of Police, (IGP) Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar who said: ‘The Nigeria Police has fallen to its lowest level; police duties have become commercialised and provided at the whims and caprices of the highest bidder’. The patriotic Police boss went on to state that: “Our Special Anti-Robbery Squads have become killer teams engaging in deals for land-speculators and debt-collectors.”
The other evidence of corruption and sub-optimal public confidence in the existing Nigerian State’s provision of national security, was evident during the Nigerian Senate under Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki as the then President, organised ‘National Security Conference’. This was when the, then Director-General of the State Security Services (DG-SSS), Alhaji Lawal Musa Daura briefed the Senators, the leaders from the six-geo-political regions, the Armed Forces’ and Security Services’ Chiefs.
Alhaji Daura testified that a number of the sophisticated arms recovered from the arrested AK-47 armed herdsmen-militia were discovered to have come from the Nigerian Army’s and Nigeria Police’s armouries. What was remarkable was that the briefing was from a patriotic Nigerian Fulani top security official. Alhaji Daura testified against the transnational Bororo Fulanis, and you might not believe it, this was during President Buhari’s reign.
The undue interference by members of the Federal Executive, and the National Assembly on the armed forces and the security services in the conduct of admission of applicants into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Security Services’ and Police Service’s academies, and the training-depots, or colleges, accounts for why, a disturbing large number of people with questionable characters have found their way into the Armed Forces, and the security services.
It is, therefore, necessary that the Nigerian leadership recruitment process is improved, enough of the recycling of mediocrity. The required process needs to be in its core centre: the enthronement of competence, capacity and credibility.
The use of top military, and security services’ officers by the Nigerian State rulers to commit crimes, has increasingly emboldened the same public servants to commit their forms of crimes. The references here have become necessary as the public officials’ commissions, or deliberate omissions, have tended to put a majority of the Nigerian peoples in harm’s way.
Apart from the then respective IGP, and DG-SSS, testimonies of the complicity of some key institutions of the Nigerian- State, in undermining of Nigeria’s national security; there is the April 2025, Nigeria Union of Journalists’ demand that, “the Deadly killings and carnage in Nigeria Must Stop”.
The consistent and unrelenting gruesome killings of fellow Nigerians across the geo-political zones, speak to the nature, and character of the Nigerian State, and its institutions. It speaks to the seeming helplessness and inability of the security forces to defend the territorial integrity of the state and its people.
Most of the people attacking Nigerian communities are said to be foreigners…
Well, former President Muhammadu Buhari’s policy to, disguisely, make the indigenous Nigerian communities’ land, his Fulani-clan kinsmen (from everywhere) new land acquisition, came close to the Sudanese tragedy. Is this not part of the reason that one of my former bosses, and, later, Nigerian military Head of State, General Sani Abacha warned that: “If an insurgency lasts for more than 24 hours, then know that government has a hand in it”.
What we have, so far, highlighted; are the challenges to Nigeria’s security arising from the non-transparent practices of governance, and mismanagement of the Nigerian security system. There are, apart from the highlights, the deep-seated causative conditionings, arising from other places.
The Nigerian State’s tendency of oppressing the popular masses in its attempt to uphold the existing political-economic order, shall not save the ruling class when the oppressed rise. Especially an order that is increasingly based on the privileges of political cronies’ parasitical entrepreneurs and foreign monopolies.
The second related source of Nigeria’s security challenges has to do with the long standing misdirection of the Nigerian Armed Forces’ loyalty solely, to the President, or the Nigerian State.
This cause of concern, we cannot continue to ignore. For, it is the cause of the non-adherence to the fundamental constitutional requirement that ‘the sovereignty belongs to the people’. Thus, also, the Nigerian State has always been an easy catch by any Nigerian President.
We need something similar to the Peoples Liberation Army of China. You may ask, why the attraction to the grand-strategy informed idea of a People’s Army.
Through the establishment of armed forces that serve the people rather than the state; China and Vietnam are surprisingly, proving to be a better democracy. It may, in fact, shock you to know that the Chinese and Vietnamese peoples are enjoying the benefits of democracy than many of the peoples of the so-called, liberal democracy-led countries.
The idea of a government of the people, by the people, for the people, is clearly more evidently actualised in, for example, Vietnam than in many countries of the West that boast of being the paragon of democracy. If you doubt me, check it out, yourself.”
It needs to be, not only always remembered but put into practice, the significance of a ‘nation-state’ being a servant of the people. It is in this regard, that the people are in a legitimately better position to determine the shape and size of their national security establishment. This follows from the fact that the most efficient national security architecture has come from its conception, and design, being an outcome of the country-wide consensus that needed to have first been built up such as this responsibility, which the Pan-Nigerian National Summit has voluntarily taken on, in consultation with the Presidency of the Federal Government of Nigeria, I presume.
So, political leadership is the problem…
It’s a major problem and it needs to be made clear, that there would be a conflict of interest if the Military Generals, Directors-General of the Security Services and the Inspector- General of Police are the ultimate determinants of the shape and size of the Nigerian Armed Forces or the security services.
It is the prerogative of the people, through their duly democratically elected officials, to be members of the governing council of a country’s national security establishment. This governing council could be said to be the highest command of National Security’s forces and agencies.
It is at this juncture that the confession that: “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep. I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion’ by Alexander the Great, comes in fittingly. For this begs the question: which models of the leadership of the armed forces have we been having? The lion, or sheep?
The age-less strategic thinking by Alexander the Great has been introduced here to help us make up our minds on which of the leadership types we need. Let’s not be mistaken, the leadership we have highlighted here is distinct from the higher/high command which members of a “General Staff” oversee. No matter how a military force is adequately armed and equipped, its usefulness, ultimately, comes to nought if the methods of use of the weapons by the combat troops are not guided by sound strategic thinking.
But it seems the security agencies don’t have the number of foot soldiers to tackle insurgency…
Like I have for over two decades repeatedly highlighted, Egyptians, who are less than half of the Nigerian population, have over five times the number of military forces we have.
The political leadership of our national security has failed not only on the horizontal line of deploying troops on the ground but failed also in the vertical line of critical thinking. Surely, it should have been obvious that you can’t depend only on conventional armed forces to fight unconventional armies. Thus, the Nigerian political leadership of national security has for long been overwhelmed.
Like I said, the answer has to do with the hangover of the lack of sincerity of purpose of leadership. President Muhammadu Buhari was more concerned with the protection of his kindred than that of Nigerians which he hung a bag with the Noble Koran in it, to take the oath of office of the C in C of the Nigerian Armed Forces. Isn’t it a pity that with the exceptions of Plateau and Benue, it is Buhari’s North-West and North-East that are suffering the most?
Why are politicians so weak in tackling the menace?
Their political ambitions are the reasons they are exploiting the menace.
What do you think the government should do to fortify the security forces and make them more effective?
A lot should be done. Government, at all levels, should have their own appropriate agencies to enforce the laws of the Constitution, and the laws that the lawmakers of a government have passed.
The Police Service shall be a civilian Law, Public Order and Safety enforcement establishment, that serves the people of the region, or state, or local government, that owns or funds it.
Each Police Service shall have exclusive jurisdiction in its own territory.
The Federal Police shall be responsible for crimes falling under any exclusive federal matters.
Where there is an inter-state, or cross territorial conflict, the involved regions or states shall jointly resolve such disagreements, failing which the next higher level of the Police Services shall intervene.
The control of Police operations must be such that there is no interference by anyone outside the Police Service, including, even, the Head of State, government or the regional, state, local government, chief executives or legislators.
There shall be an independent Police Service Commission, at every tier of government, with the sole power to make appointments and carry out promotion; transfer officers; dismiss, and exercise disciplinary control over persons holding, or acting in such Police Service offices.
The membership of a Police Service Commission, so that it is independent, shall be made up of a representative of each of the following: Paramount Traditional Rulers; A tier of Government’s Executive Branch; A tier of Government’s Legislative Branch; A tier of Government’s Judiciary Branch; The retired Police Service’s heads; The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA; the Christian, Muslim and traditional religion; trade unions; youths and women.
The Nigerian State has, for long, become the major promoter of the fact that Nigeria is a unitary state. If we are to constructively restore federalism to Nigeria, then the respective chief security officers’ powers of the state governors, and local government chairmen, need to be structurally guaranteed in the Constitution. This is to make it justiciable, that the powers cannot be unilaterally withdrawn by the Federal Government, at least not without the process of the envisaged Constitution’s amendment.
The need for an insightful and envisioned holistic strategy that serves as the principal guide of Nigerian social, political and economic framework, cannot be overstated. Without such political and economic structure and its attendant, harmonised and balanced National Security Architecture, the Nigerian State will continue to run around like a headless chicken.
That is, the rulers of the existing Nigerian nation-state will continue to come up with grandstanding photo-opportunists’ announcements, or panicking, when they should have behaved like leaders who do critical thinking about what needs to be done.
A leader who needs to make Nigeria a peaceful country should have willpower that is exercised in accordance with God’s will. A leader should be thinking through whatever course of action that needs to be taken. They require understanding of a situation in its entirety, without losing sight of the details. A vision to forsee events or anticipate developments, shall be highly valuable; he should have sincerity of purpose of the needed leadership; self-discipline; the maintenance of high morale; being always innovative, and adaptable and high tech- driven.
Nigerians must be freed from mental and physical slavery. It is necessary that we, the Nigerian people, have an ‘Emancipation Motto’ that needs not only to be known by mind, but the spirit of the words felt in the liberation fighter’s inner-self. There is the need for the internalised understanding of the justice of the cause true Nigerian patriots are fighting for.
Many are calling for liberalisation of arms so that individuals could defend themselves in events of attacks…
The liberalisation of the use of arms by those without the necessary discipline could soon be counterproductive as we saw in Libya after Gaddafi’ overthrow. What has happened in our neighbouring countries should have taught us many lessons.
Like the saying goes: ‘the Truth will set you free, so the Scripture states. Conversely looking at the biblical quotation, it must follow that falsehood holds partakers in it in bondage. Is it, therefore, any wonder that the extant 1999 Constitution, whose preamble is a lie, gave birth to the existing fraud in the Nigerian State?
Except strong actions are taken, majority of Nigerians shall continue to be rendered vulnerable to national insecurity. This is why, when those who do not comply with the necessary provisions of the Constitution are not legally dealt with, the country’s social, political and economic situation is continuously put in jeopardy.
It should have been, now, realised that without an effective military sub-structure to undergird the expected Constitutional democracy, there is no guarantee that “the Nigerian State” shall not be easily taken into a possible dictator’s possession.
Do you think Nigeria should be rescued?
Yes, but we need a national security system in which the various peoples of Nigeria participate. This can be achieved by our having ‘A Peoples’ Military Force’, which, as the name implies, is loyal, and a servant of the people, not the Nigerian State. I do hope you know the difference that exists between the Nigerian State and the Nigerian people that the state must serve? There must be a minimum of four tiers of the envisaged Nigerian security structure. There must be the combined, conventional, and, expected unconventional, methods of waging the ironical, ‘wars for peace’.
There must be the equitable and fair, horizontal distribution of the country’ military assets/establishments/manpower and the components of the expected, Nigerian Military Industrial Complex (MIC).
What I am saying, therefore, is that for a befitting Nigerian security structure to be designed, its conception needs to be well-informed by a holistic, Nigerian country strategy.
A multifaceted strategy that focuses on achieving sustainable social, cultural development, political stability through good governance; economic growth; and science, technology including Digital, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) advancements for every Nigerian. It is this kind of integrated country strategy that could be referred to as ‘the Nigerian Grand Strategy’.
It is from such a holistic Nigerian Country Strategy and sincerity of purpose, that Nigerian security strategy takes its major guidance from. As such, a Nigerian National Security Strategy needs to be made up of both soft-power’, and ‘hard power’, components. This is a necessary combination for a country that has, for decades, been faced with increasing insurgency, terrorism, banditry and violent crimes.
What has, therefore, been necessary is comprehensive civilian and military efforts which are designed to simultaneously defeat, and completely degrade the threats to national, and local communities’, respective security.
By virtue of the fact that the main threat to the security of Nigeria comes from unconventional military forces, the emphasis of the proposed Country Defence Strategy needs to be on the combining of the conventional combat methods, and the unconventional’ military, or militias, or guerrilla, war tactics, in the fight to keep Nigerians safe and secure, wherever they find themselves in Nigeria.
The different geo-political regions and ethnic nations of Nigeria are in urgent need of a harmonised Home-Land Security Strategy. This, in terms of the overall Nigerian security strategy, shall be the guide of the commanders charged with the duty of guarding the Second Line of the Nigerian National Defence.
I am, therefore, envisaging a National Defence Strategy that is primarily a Defence-in-depth type. The vision, here, is of a National Security Strategy that utilises multiple layers of security management to protect the networks of the National Security System.
Today’s rapidly growing and sophistication of cyber threats, is what informs the inclusion of STEM capability-enhancement, as a strand of the Nigerian National Security Strategy.
The practice of good governance which promotes leading by always consulting the people, never apart from them, is highly recommended. Because rulers who are cut off from the people, and pretend to be the leaders of the people, are often doomed to failure and on the way to despotism.
Peace reigns when the people and their government are one and the same.
I would also recommend a justifiable and justiciable practice by the Ministry of Defence and the Services’ Headquarters. The practice needs to be in the form of an article in an envisaged new Constitution that is justiciable.
