The great philosopher Aristotle: (384-322BC) said: ‘Every art and every inquiry, and similarly, every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim and according to Adams,  John   Quincy   (1767-1840),   the   Sixth   US  President   Fiat   Justitia,  Pereat Coelum:   My   toast  would   be,   may   our  country   be   always  successful,   but   whether successful or otherwise, always right.

Buoyed by an innate desire to serve his country at its most critical time, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. Gen, Tukur Yusufu Buratai, has sprung pleasant surprises to most Nigerians and indeed the world in his leadership of the Nigerian Army as he unfolds a new agenda for the soldiers.

Since the general took over the reins of power as the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, the popularity rating of the Army has kept souring to high heavens, and virtually at every instance Nigerians have had cause to assess the Army since President Muhammadu Buhari became President of Nigeria.

It is now on the lips of every Nigerian and indeed Africans  that Gen. Buhari is walking the talk, as a result of the multi-dimensional reforms he introduced and implemented in the service, which have   been   the  redeeming   grace   as  emphasis   is   on  professionalism,   discipline, transparency,  accountability   and  subservience   to  democratic   ethos,   norms  and patriotism.

Africans and indeed Nigerians have so much rated the Army very high as a result of the reforms by Gen. Buratai, who has preached and ensured the entrenchment of the ideals of a disciplined army: respect for civil authority and the safeguard of the human rights of Nigerians.

These attributes have become the cardinal ethos of the Nigerian Army no matter where they are, within and outside the country. There   is   no  gain-saying   that   under  the   able   leadership   of  Buratai   the Army   has re-invented itself.

He embarked on moral and psychological cleansing of the personnel by refreshing their memories on professional ethics through courses and seminars, and Nigeria   today   parades   a  level -headed,   disciplined  and   morally   upright  breed   of soldiers.

General Buratai is the soldier’s general, some call him the soldier’s soldier, and others call him the gentleman soldier. But one thing that is endearing to all about him is the gentle smile, calmness he beams every time he appears in public and the mien of confidence and competence he exudes.

Within the few days of his appointment in July 2015 as COAS, he joined his men in the trenches, and  travelled   within   the  different   formations   and  divisions   to   boost   their morale at the fore-front of the battle against terrorism.

He dined with the soldiers at the battlefield and on some occasions broke his Ramadan fast in the trenches with the solders, and in a matter of few months with the right strategy the insurgents were decimated, degraded and routed, and territories were recovered from them. He placed loyalty to the state above his personal interest and he truly treated his troops as his blood all in a bid to give them a sense of oneness and togetherness towards the common goal.

In spite of the daunting challenges, he reformed, refocused and repositioned the Nigerian Army for effective combat readiness in tandem with best global practice, and that is why Nigerian Army   today is  rated the best in Africa.

The   COAS’   ingenuity resulted in   the creation of a motorcycle brigade that was able to deploy rapidly to combat the fighters wherever they are carrying out the attacks, and this led to Nigerians to start believing in the Nigerian army again with several commendations from in and outside the country; today the story is different.

Buratai, is quietly repositioning the Army into the strongest and most formidable army in Africa by his gradual actualization of his blue-print and road-map of making the Army professionally responsive to Nigerians in the   discharge of   its   constitutional  roles   and assignments. However, today’s crowning heights of this accomplished infantry general started in 1983 when he was commissioned into the Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army, after  an   exhaustive   training  at   the   prestigious  Nigeria   Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, as a member of the 29^th  Regular Combat Course.

Over the years, Buratai had carved a niche for himself as a no-nonsense soldier, combatant, administrator, commander and an academic genius in military circles. Therefore, when Buratai laces his boots and steps out on the battlefield, he inspires courage and bravery in   his   foot  soldiers.

When   they reclaimed   Nigerian  territories   captured   by  Boko Haram terrorists,   he re defined   the   essence  of   existence   for   many  communities   and  thousands   of   their inhabitants. He is the harbinger of the message of hope and freedom when he visits Internally   Displaced  Persons   (IDPS)   at  different   camps.

The  Nigerian   Army courageously   determined  and   gallantly   led   the  counter-insurgency   that  has   ended terrorism in the North East and Nigeria today.  Militancy in the Niger Delta became a torn in the flesh of the people, manifesting in vandalism and bombing of pipelines or facilities by aggrieved groups in the region, which made the national revenue to drop drastically, had been reversed through the timely intervention and handling of ‘Operation Delta Safe’ and ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’ by the Nigerian Army and guided by a philosophy of the highest military strategy.

Nevertheless   the   armed  bandits   terrorizing   in  some   parts   of   Southern  Kaduna   were   also meticulously dealt with earlier this year with the launch of ‘Operation Harbin Kunama 1   and   2.  Apart  from establishing a military battalion in the area to enhance security, the troops camped and built a strategic command to reduce the menace to the minimum.

The general also deserves commendation for the quick response to tackling cattle rustling menace in the North West, resulting in regular altercation between farmers and herdsmen. The cattle rustlers took the northern parts of the country especially the North West as a playground hampering farming and animal husbandry on a scale that had not been seen before.

At the height of their criminality, farmers either paid protection fees to be left   alone   or   face   the  prospect   of   being  robbed   of   livestock   and  other   valuables. Buratai’s 35 battalion, 3 Brigade and 1 Division, Nigerian Army, smashed the syndicates under   ‘Operation   Sharan  Daji’   where   a   lot   of  them were arrested, dislodged and apprehended.

In one of the operations in Katsina State, the notorious cattle rustler, Abubakar Muhammed (aka Gora) and his colleagues, Anas Gora and Bello Sani were arrested. The lightning speed with which the Army under General Buratai rounded the rustlers is a clear indication of the battle-ready Army under his command.

These criminals did not only challenge the power of the state to dare them, but operated with impunity and moved about unscathed, but the soldiers ended their madness in months and normalcy had been restored. A lot of these terrorists and criminals had been de-radicalized and given new re-orientation by the Nigerian Army so as to live in the society.

And a lot of Internally Displaced persons (IDPS) had also relocated to their former homes within the North East region, and the virtual presence of the soldiers within these locations have boosted the confidence of the IDPs to reside peacefully in   their   homes.

The   Army   has intermittently   embarked  on   medical treatments of ailing Nigerians in war -torn communities and the IDPs. A lot of sick Nigerians have benefited enormously from the free medical services and distribution of drugs, all funded by the Army which cut across all the regions that have been affected by herdsmen and Boko Haram’s mayhem.

As a result of the proactive leadership of the Army a lot of changes have taken place; the war on insurgency is fast becoming a thing of the past, while captured or kidnapped people are being re-united with their people. A lot of Chibok School girls have also been released to their families, while roads and infrastructure facilities, including electricity, have been built by the Army   as  part   of   their   corporate  social   responsibility (CSR).

Consequently,   while defending   the Army’s    2017   budget   before   the  National Assembly   that    internal insecurity in Nigeria has caused the deployment of soldiers on special assignments in 32 out of the 36 states of the federation, this much task, according to the COAS, has translated into over-sapping the   energy of Nigerian  soldiers in protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

Even   with   this  situation,   the general   has  shown   absolute  obedience   to professional ethics, ethos, even in the face of public provocation.Buratai’s preaching and submission to the democratic culture and veneration of “Bloody Civilians” caused for the first time in 150 years, the establishment of the Human Rights Desks. Now the Army firmly punishes its   deviant  men   and   officers   upon receipt   of report of misconduct.

Under  Buratai, Nigerians   are  enthralled   to   see   the  soldiers   move   into  communities   on   special assignments and they socialize with the host communities instantly, making friends and gathering intelligence that resulted in the establishment of the Directorate of Procurement and Civil-Military Affairs Department for the first time in the history of Nigerian Army.

This relationship between the Army and civilians in the host communities had added much impetus to the fight against insurgents and  had   also strengthen   the  resolve   of   soldiers   by  creating   adequate  contingency   plans   to  treat wounded soldiers, rehabilitate and reward them and also compensate families left behind by soldiers that had lost their lives in the battle-fronts.

Under his pragmatic leadership, funds meant for procurement, feeding, medicine and payment   of  allowances   for   soldiers  fighting   the   war   had  been   judiciously disbursed, and it is noteworthy to also say that the general has compelled every officer serving in Nigerian Army to declare assets with CCB and the Army now has a yearly auditing of its financial accounts to keep with best practice across the globe.

The people’s general, as fondly called, has boosted the morale and ’espirit de corps’ of the Army   like  never   before   by     the  training   and   re-training  of its   officers and men. Little wonder the Nigerian Army was voted the ‘Best Army Defence Agency’ by an online poll conducted recently. Nigerians have affirmed ‘their solidarity and support to the Buratai-led Army as the best security agency in the country, which gave its heart and soul in the defence of Nigerians.

The 20^th Chief of Army Staff had won so many laurels, awards and honours since he was   appointed   COAS. The   African   Students  Union   (ASU)   awarded  him   the ‘African of the Year Award,’ and in the same vein, the editorial board of an online medium voted for his   recognition   as “Man of the Month   (September, 2016).

Recently the Brazilian Army General   bestowed the highest ‘Brazilian Military Order of Merit’ – under the orders of President Michel Temer, on the COAS and also the Coalition of Civil Societies and Media Executives for Good Governance in October 27, 2016, an umbrella body of over 150 NGOs in Nigeria, bestowed on Gen. Buratai the ‘Most Distinguished Chief of Army Staff of the Decade,’ but like the general will always say, that the fight cannot be won alone by the Nigerian Army without the support and backing of the government, other security agencies and the civil populace in particular.

He requested everyone to continue to partner, collaborate and cooperate with the security agencies despite daunting challenges in “our collective aspiration to keep Nigeria safe, prosperous and a home for all.” Quoting   the  words   of MacNamara recently, he emphasized that “Security is development, without development there is no security and without security, there is no development.”  He said in order for meaningful   socio-economic   development  to   take   place, security must have top priority, and quoting the words of Alcaeus (620-580 BC): “Brave men are a city’s strongest tower of defence,” he encouraged all to support the Nigerian Army.

By Omoba Kenneth Aigbegbele

Omoba   Kenneth  Aigbegbele   is   a  strategic   brand   adviser,  journalist,   and   civil society activist, former  Media   Adviser   to   the  First   Lady   of   Nigeria (2010-2015); Executive Secretary, Citizens Watch Nigeria (CWN) and President, COCMEGG.