The  Nigerian Dream  Army,   Under  Gen.  Buratai’s Watch

By Lazarus Zakaa, Abuja

Over the years,  Nigerian populace were devastated by years of Boko Haram insurgency which pierced the serenity of Aso Rock, the seat of power.

It will be recalled, on the nation’s independence day, the country was hit with series of bombing in the heart of Abuja, and several follows after, the Armies stood in defenselessness, untrained, unarmed and dodgy in battling the menacing and consuming outrage of Boko Haram terrorists.

The former administration was horrified by the sheer magnitude of insurgents’ mass killings, abductions, arsons and the servile treatment of Nigerians held in captivity, after horrendous mayhems on vulnerable communities. Neither the Presidency nor the military of the time had workable solutions to the  ravaging insurgency.

Nigerians resigned to fate, as Boko Haramists exercised unchallenged might on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria.  It was one of the most embarrassing problems inherited by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, begging  for a quick fix and the Buhari Presidency understood it clearly much in unspoken feelings than the lamentations of Nigerians.

Then, President Buhari  rejigged the Military leadership and infused it with fresh, vibrant and tested warmongers.

  President Buhari then gave the new crop of Security Chiefs the single mandate of terminating the years of the evil and obnoxious reign of Boko Haram insurgency on Nigerians.

Among the Service Chiefs appointed to prosecute this war was  unknown, but a no -nonsense combatant soldier, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai who was decorated as Chief of Army Staff (COAS). President Buhari also doubled his responsibility by appointing him the ombudsman of the counter-terrorism operations in the country.

Since his inception as the Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai, has set vision to once a vision less Nigerian Army.

To every discerning mind, Gen. Buratai had a herculean task on his hands. It was also clear,  the Army boss was incapacitated by the army he met, which  ought to have been the weapons of prosecuting a successful war against Boko Haram terrorism.

The imperative of reforming and repositioning the army, at the same time, bringing succor to Nigerians trapped by insurgency, most especially in the Northeastern region had to be undertaken simultaneously.

Nevertheless, what those who knew the inside-out of the military career of Gen. Buratai was his incontestable competence and the zeal for excellence.

He had performed flawlessly and splendidly in all previous military assignments and it triggered the optimism that even on Boko Haram, Gen. Buratai will replicate his habituated traits of excelling on any national assignment.

Gen. Buratai was disconcerted at the degeneration in the Nigerian Army, the strength of all arms of the military in any country in the world.

The Nigerian Army which echoed resounding shadows on peacekeeping missions whether under the auspices of United Nations (UN) or African Union (AU) conveniently became a distastefully an effeminate force in the country, crawling and barking feebly in battles.

Nigerian Army was ridiculed, derided and dismissed as inconsequential. Gen. Buratai was pained within. And immediately, he defined a vision and a mission for his leadership of the Nigerian Army, crafted to retool the Army professionally to operate on the best crest of ethical excellence and performance.

Buratai made the foremost policy statement as far back as 2015, articulating clearly that his vision is fixated on grooming a “responsible and responsive Nigerian Army that would answer professionally to its Constitutional core mandate of protecting and preserving the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria in the discharge of its roles”

Records have shown  evidently clear that Gen. Buratai and his team of underlings have walked the talk.

This gave birth to series of Operations across the country few among those operations include; Operation LAFIYA DOLE, AYEM AKPATUMA, CROCODOLE SMILE, EGWU EKE , HADARIN DAJI Among others.

To assert that Gen. Buratai has completely overhauled the Nigerian Army is an understatement. The Army Chief has meticulously implemented his vision on the Nigerian Army. Even doubting Thomases have conceded to him the splendor of Nigerian Army as one of the best Armies and a force to behold in the world now.

Today, it is attestable that Nigerian troops are no longer a fighting force that disappointingly bow before terrorists on the battlefield.

The Nigerian Army under Gen. Buratai has now regained its lost spirit as one of the best in global peace keeping operations around the globe. It is reaffirming its status as an Army which  once thunderously won  peace keeping medals in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Angola,  and other places under the banner of the UN.

Interestingly too and aside perfecting the Nigerian Army in field combats, Gen. Buratai has also infused amazing innovations and reforms in the administration of the Nigerian Army.

Gen Buratai is the first Army Chief to wine and dime with troops at the war front.

The high spirits of soldiers on the frontlines and the series of irrevocable victories against Boko Haram despite the thwarting efforts of sabs is propelled by Buratai’s transparency and accountability which he has tenaciously implemented.

To ensure transparency and accountability,  the Nigerian Army under Gen. Buratai is pegged among the very first establishments to enforce Treasury Single Account (TSA), the Bank Verification Number (BVN); the Government Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (GIFMIS) and the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) as directed by the FGN  to all Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs).

Other innovations include  is the Command Engineering Depot set up to sustain the investment in  research and development on military hardware to reduce over dependence on importation of logistics to shore up and sustain the capabilities towards mitigating contemporary security challenge.

After the Army successively cleared the area of Boko Haram terrorists. Gen. Buratai was personally on ground to support the returnees to reoccupy abandoned farms. The Army  Chief stretched it further by holding Town Hall meetings with the locals to intimate them on how to assist the military sustain the peace and security in their communities. These are rare manifestations which are only felt under a cerebral leader like Gen. Buratai.

Gen Buratai also brought to bear on education and training in the Army are supersonic. He is able to establish the first Nigerian Army University, Biu (NAUB), the Nigerian Army Aviation School and the resuscitation of Army training schools.  Nigerian Army officers, soldiers and civilians are benefiting directly from his leadership which has placed training of soldiers as topmost priority with motivations and under conducive atmospheres.

Nigerians are now witnesses to their dream Army General, as exemplified by Gen. Buratai. He promised to make the difference from the outset on assumption of duty and has lived his words.