Editor's note: Abe Kolawole, a former public relations officer at the National Association of Nigerian Students writes on the operations of the Nigerian Army against terrorists in the northeast.
Kolawole suggests that the Army under Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai has come to become the best and most engaging security outfit in the country.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Legit.ng.
Your own opinion articles are welcome at info@corp.legit.ng drop an email telling us what you want to write about and why. More details in Legit.ngs step-by-step guide for guest contributors.
Contact us if you have any feedback, suggestions, complaints or compliments. We are also available on Twitter.
It was Plato who, during the Golden Age, when history was rising as a major sign of the growing sophistication of the Athenian society, declared that a life not examined is a life not worth living. As myth gave way to more accurate chronicling and prose replaced verse as the medium for preserving facts, the fifth-century Greek came closer to the scientific spirit of free inquiry in modern times.
Memories are made of these! Yet, nothing seems more characteristic of the present age than the homogeneity of its point of view. We may frown at its developmental smugness.
But we must admire its optimism, its cosmopolitanism, its intellectual refinements, its spirit of true enlightenment and the critical engagement with which it examines the world and its leaders. For, it is always instructive for the serious student of history to start by trying to determine what an age thought of itself.
Such an investigation is made easier by studying the lives and times of the important men and women that shaped the age with their actions.
In documenting the life and times of a towering personality, exciting experiences are selected, which present emotional and spiritual values, to interpret the tale as it is rehearsed in imagination or told to an admiring listener or hearer.
As a revolutionary, a faithful servant, a dedicated realist and reformer, who can bridge all gulfs, level all mountains and put a lamp in every tunnel, as exemplified by his selfless service to Nigeria, his fatherland since he was appointed the Chief of Army Staff by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, has undoubtedly, come to be seen as a modern-day phenomenon whose corpus requires a large canvas.
Under him, the Nigerian Army has come to become the best and most engaging security outfit in the country.
For his effort in modernizing the Nigerian Army for global relevance since becoming Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Buratai has been lionized by millions of Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora.
Due to his leadership role and gallantry in checkmating the Boko Haram insurgency, Gen. Buratai has been venerated for excellence in Security, Selfless devotion, service, vision, courage, doggedness, the willingness to take action, patriotism, performance and inimitable commitment to the national ideal in our democratic journey. These are the essential characteristics of a national hero.
Tukur Buratai is, undoubtedly, a reputable military expert, a historian, a philosopher, an administrator, a development expert, an iconic personality, and a perception management expert. Comments of many Nigerians on Buratai reflect the looming intellectual profundity of the man in question.
A man who can think out of the box to contain the security challenges facing the country, Buratai builds synergies with other countries armies around the world. He attracted the Chief of Army Staff of South Africa to Nigeria recently.
According to him, the outcome was quite tremendous. For him, the understanding that they needed to work together to improve the two African countries' securities in view of contemporary security challenges in the world, was a major achievement.
He has enthused that the fight against terrorism is a global phenomenon and it requires a global approach. Consequently, Africa needs this cooperation to approach it holistically.
The gathering of African military chiefs in Nigeria has brought to the fore the individual challenges African soldiers are facing in the continent and collectively they have put together measures to address the challenges in order to foster peace and security in the region.
Nigeria has started receiving the results and reaping the fruits of the summit.
Nigerian Army has come to become the best and most engaging security outfit in the country.Source: Twitter
There is now a common understanding and strategies on the cascading insecurity in the continent and how to tackle it together. This shows that Buratai is a modern team player and continental leader.
General Buratai as COAS believes that national interest can be better secured when there is cooperation among the security agencies, hence the synergy with other security agencies in the fight against criminal elements across the country.
He also believes that the solution to criminal insurgency does not lie in military operations alone. Hence he always reiterates the efficacy of joint efforts of all Nigerians: the military and civil populace, in the war against crime and criminality in the country.
It is in recognition of this remarkable leadership quality that he is variously described as a game-changer, a man of distinction, a man who places national interest above self, a man who personifies patriotism, courage, inspiration and motivation, as well as the initiator of some uncommon initiatives, a man who rekindles the fighting spirit of the Nigerian Army.
General Buratai's private home in Borno was destroyed by the insurgents at the peak of the battle. But he saw that as a personal sacrifice which could not deter him from his plans for the redemption of his fatherland.
This man of distinction changed all that was needed to be changed, especially as regards strategies and policies, all aimed at the rebirth of the Nigerian Army and defeating the dreaded Boko Haram terrorists.
General Buratai's exceptional leadership style as exemplified by his father-son relationship with the troops has changed the known norms.
Thus, for the first time, we have a COAS who advances to the battlefield with his troops. This is informed by his belief that one cannot live in absentia if one wants to achieve meaningful results. This uncommon attribute became the magic-wand that he uses to perform uncommon feats.
The highly motivated troops had no choice but to charge before the terrorists and defeat them thereby liberating Nigerians from their stranglehold as well as regaining not only the lost territories but also the glory of the Nigerian Army.
The effect of that singular action has led to the massive reduction or elimination in the incidents of bombings and attacks especially in States like Yobe, Kano, Kaduna, Adamawa and the FCT, Abuja.
While Borno state is still experiencing occasional attacks on soft targets, there is no doubting the fact that the Nigerian Army under the eagle eyes of General Buratai has been able to deal a decisive blow on the capacity of the terrorists to plan major attacks on government houses, security formations, police and army barracks, places of worship and others.
By relocating to the theatre of war in Borno state, General Buratai boosted the morale of troops and made the soldiers believe that Nigeria was worth dying for.
It was Buratai's sterling leadership qualities that created the late Lt. Muhammad Abu-Ali who did an excellent job in the war theatre before he was killed by the sect in 2016. He coordinated series of attacks on the sect and launched a massive one on Sambisa Forest where many of the terrorists were killed and their flags and other symbols recovered.
Since then, the sect has only been able to launch a few cowardly attacks on soft targets in Maiduguri. General Buratai has a firm grasp of basic leadership principles.
PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update
It was a firm grasp of basic leadership principles that enabled Napoleon, an obscured soldier from Corsica, to take a bankrupt and war-devastated France and defeat the most powerful nations on earth, dominating Europe during his time.
Hitler literally was a little corporal and was never commissioned as an officer, yet he arose to dominate some of the great generals of his time.
For a while, he dominated Europe even more than Napoleon had in the past. To do this he seized a few basic principles of leadership and used them better than the generals and other politicians that he dominated. General Buratai did not emerge from the blues.
He attended the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, Kaduna as a member of the 29th Regular Combatant Course (29 RC). On the successful completion of his Officer Cadet training, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on December 17, 1983, into the Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army.
A highly brilliant officer who earned a degree in history from the University of Maiduguri and another in philosophy from Bangladesh University of Professionals, Dhaka, Gen. Buratai also graduated from the National Defence College, Mirpur, Pakistan.
General Buratai, our amiable Chief of Army Staff makes his times. He is an aggressively creative leader.
NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng: Same great journalism, upgraded for better service!
Buhari should put an end to banditry, unrest in Zamfara - Nigerians cry | Legit TV
See the original post here:
- Spiritual Enlightenment: What It Is and How to Experience It - November 10th, 2020
- 5 Things You Should Know About Spiritual Enlightenment ... - November 10th, 2020
- Spiritual Enlightenment - Truths & Paths | Live and Dare - November 10th, 2020
- The 3 Stages Of Spiritual Enlightenment : In5D - November 10th, 2020
- What Is Spiritual Enlightenment or Spiritual Awakening? - November 10th, 2020
- Is there a spiritual side to dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic? - RTE.ie - November 10th, 2020
- National Trust observes Divali with educational presentations - Loop News Trinidad and Tobago - November 10th, 2020
- The Wanteds Tom Parker and wife Kelsey say newborn son is light at the end of our tunnel after brain cance - The Sun - November 10th, 2020
- The best response to Islamism is Christianity - Spectator.co.uk - November 10th, 2020
- Astrology 2020: Message of the Day (November 8) - Newsroompost - November 10th, 2020
- Huge chalk art project brings positivity to street on the Outer Banks - OBXToday.com - November 10th, 2020
- The birth of modern Europe - The News International - November 10th, 2020
- NLE Choppa Dated A 46-Year-Old Woman When He Was 16 - HotNewHipHop - November 10th, 2020
- Roy Exum: We Need God's Help - The Chattanoogan - November 10th, 2020
- Faith and Governance: The Role of the Church in Social Justice - THISDAY Newspapers - November 10th, 2020
- When Raving Was Radical - The Nation - November 10th, 2020
- Navigating the Mind: What Medication Cannot Address - James Moore - November 10th, 2020
- No Man's Sky: 10 Things You Didnt Know About The Korvax - TheGamer - November 10th, 2020
- It's Not That Detroit Is Too Poor, But That Seattle Is Too Rich - TheStranger.com - October 19th, 2020
- Eye Gazing Exercise: Possible Benefits and How to Try It - Healthline - October 19th, 2020
- Batman: Bruce Wayne Has The Same Origin Story as The Buddha - Screen Rant - October 19th, 2020
- Fiction: Into the Darkness With Don DeLillo - Wall Street Journal - October 19th, 2020
- Rabbi Art Green (still) believes Hasidic ideas are key to the Jewish future - The Jewish News of Northern California - October 19th, 2020
- Alan Arkin on Hollywood success: 'I was miserable pretty much all of the time' - The Guardian - October 19th, 2020
- The joy of the Mallorcan landscape - Majorca Daily Bulletin - October 19th, 2020
- Sudbury author explores the power of healing - The Sudbury Star - October 19th, 2020
- The Revolutionary Beethoven - CounterPunch.org - CounterPunch - October 19th, 2020
- Exercising Religion and Taming Faction - Los Angeles Review of Books - lareviewofbooks - October 19th, 2020
- Op-Ed: The civil rights legend who opposed critical race theory - The Center Square - October 19th, 2020
- Chant of the Buddha - Part II - Outlook India - September 26th, 2020
- Tantra exhibition review: An enjoyable journey on the road to enlightenment - Evening Standard - September 26th, 2020
- The Revolutionary Beethoven - Dissent - September 26th, 2020
- Review: Capital in the 21st Century - Camden New Journal newspapers website - September 26th, 2020
- Finding God: Christianity and the Global Mystical Societies - THISDAY Newspapers - September 26th, 2020
- Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith Used This Parenting Technique That Inspired Jaden and Willow To Be Unusually Close - Showbiz Cheat Sheet - September 26th, 2020
- The art of tantra: is there more to it than marathon sex and massages? - The Guardian - September 26th, 2020
- Saying goodbye to the Israeli one-state prophet - +972 Magazine - September 26th, 2020
- Spiritual Enlightenment - How To Become Enlightened - August 10th, 2020
- Spiritual Enlightenment - The Most Profound Truth Revealed ... - August 10th, 2020
- SERMONETTE: Seek the Holy Spirit and hold on! - Crow River Media - August 10th, 2020
- What Is Spiritual Bypassing? 7 Steps To Avoiding Toxic Spirituality - YourTango - August 10th, 2020
- Will Tammy Duckworth be the first deist veep since Thomas Jefferson? - Religion News Service - August 10th, 2020
- Jamila Woods' "SULA (Paperback)" and Creative Ancestry and Self-Love in the Age of "List" Activism - PopMatters - August 10th, 2020
- Creation, conscience and the bomb | Earthbeat - National Catholic Reporter - August 10th, 2020
- DREAMS OF WALDEN POND: The Way of Liberal Religion - Patheos - August 10th, 2020
- Let's Show Power! Rev Abbeam Danso and Apostle Nkum challenge The Mystic Twins to open battle - GhanaWeb - August 10th, 2020
- Jacob S. Rugh: An open letter to the BYU Committee on Race, Equity, and Belonging - Salt Lake Tribune - August 10th, 2020
- Your Weekly Horoscope News: August 10th - August 17th - Sporteluxe - August 10th, 2020
- #482 Author and Intuitive Michael McAdams and His Book, An Angel Told Me So - BlogTalkRadio - August 8th, 2020
- Hinduism Survived Years Of Raids Through Its Inclusiveness, Not Violence And Bloodshed - Outlook India - August 8th, 2020
- A rebuttal to Sam George's mid-length propaganda: "The path to enlightenment ain't easy. We get it through trial, struggle, self-flagellation.... - August 8th, 2020
- Dimension of Krishna Sadhana - The New Indian Express - August 8th, 2020
- Why Bodh Gaya is Considered the Navel of the Earth - Ancient Origins - August 8th, 2020
- 6 Facts About Water Lilies That Will Make You Love Them Even More - MSN Money - August 8th, 2020
- Satan in the Times | John Mark N. Reynolds - Patheos - August 8th, 2020
- How To Meditate, Body Scan, Breathe Mindfully And Become More Present - elle.com - August 8th, 2020
- When panic disorder hits a nation - The Star Online - August 8th, 2020
- World Teacher and Happy Science Founder Ryuho Okawa Introduces Four Principles of Happiness that Transcends Race and Religion in His New Book... - August 8th, 2020
- ARTIST: Zachary Ian Garden featured in The Art of Tattooists - The News Herald - August 7th, 2020
- Honey I Joined A Cult Coming To Brainwash PCs in 2021 - GameSpace.com - August 7th, 2020
- Pick of the Podcasts: Guru, Calm Down Dear, Give Me Some Good News - The Sunday Post - August 7th, 2020
- Excerpt: From the Translators Note to Rumi; A New Collection Selected and Translated by Farrukh Dh... - Hindustan Times - August 6th, 2020
- 'History will judge us' Have progressive UK rabbis reached end of the road on Israel? - Mondoweiss - August 6th, 2020
- Chulayarnnon Siriphol on Finding Ways to Express Opinions - Ocula Magazine - August 6th, 2020
- Speech and Slavery in the West Indies | by Fara Dabhoiwala - The New York Review of Books - August 6th, 2020
- Power of 5am thoughts - The New Indian Express - August 4th, 2020
- India is a spiritual country, but we're still not taking the wealth of the Bhagavad Gita: Vedanta scholar Jaya Row - The New Indian Express - August 4th, 2020
- The Sacrifice of All Doubts - Kashmir Reader - August 4th, 2020
- View the awe-inspiring Hermitage of St. Sava - Aleteia IT - August 4th, 2020
- A Suitable Boy: Seven films to watch that are set in India - Spectator.co.uk - August 3rd, 2020
- Chingy wants to uplift with self-reflective new album, 'Crown Jewel' - STLtoday.com - August 3rd, 2020
- Feds sprayed chemicals into the eyes of a retired ER nurse and veteran - Street Roots News - August 3rd, 2020
- The American Founding vindicated against its foes on the Right and Left - MercatorNet - August 3rd, 2020
- Lam Tian Xings Anthem of the Calamus is an ode to Hong Kongs resilient spirit - Lifestyle Asia - August 3rd, 2020
- Asking the Clergy: Why is patience a virtue in difficult times? - Newsday - July 31st, 2020
- El Topo: The weirdest western ever made - BBC News - July 29th, 2020
- Lam Tian-xings Anthem of the Calamus is an ode to Hong Kongs resilient spirit - Lifestyle Asia - July 29th, 2020
- Corruption, the Devaluation of the Human Spirit and the Futures of Black Humanity (2) - The News - July 29th, 2020
- 'It took genius to chisel these buttocks' the top 10 bottoms in art, chosen by our critic - The Guardian - July 29th, 2020
- Hippy In the Mikvah - Lubavitch.com - July 29th, 2020