Buratai: Meeting Nigeria’s digital COAS

BY ESTHER OKPABI

I have long been an admirer of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai for inexplicable reasons. Since his appointment in 2015, the fortunes of the Nigerian Army has witnessed a steady rise especially in the fight against insurgency and other militant groups in Nigeria.

Also, he has left indelible footprints in the operational effectiveness of the Nigeria Army through various innovation and worthy of mention is the Nigerian Army Situation Room established for the 2019 elections monitoring.

The beauty of the Nigeria Army Situation room is that it is configured to track possible pre-election violence, violence during the election and post-election violence, and online and real-time on a 24 hours’ basis. This is marvellous and the first in the annals of the country.

I recall on the launch of the Situation Room by the Chief of Army Staff; he stated that post-election violence which characterized previous elections highlights the challenges posed by incidents of electoral violence in the country. Hence, the Nigerian Army saw the need to devise new strategies of stemming such as ugly tides or eliminating the same. This is brilliant.

He further stated that violence at the various phases of elections includes thuggery, snatching of ballot boxes and papers or kidnapping or abduction of electoral officers and party agents and wanton destruction of lives and properties, respectively.

In his words, “Having observed this cycle of violence reoccur severally in our past electioneering processes, the Nigerian Army has thus deemed it necessary to adopt a proactive and responsive posture that would allow us to better respond to early signs of insecurity before they could escalate into a major security challenge. It is in this light that the Nigerian Army has launched OP SAFE CONDUCT and also gone ahead to establish this situation room for real-time monitoring.”

This says it all. This is a total deviation from what we were used to in terms of the responding to security challenges in the country. Most times the approach has been reactiveness instead of being proactive. And that is why I am happy with the affairs of the Nigerian Army under Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai.

Upon encounter with him, one could easily tell that he is one that understands the role of technology in crime prevention. And this much he has demonstrated since he assumed leadership of the Nigerian Army in 2015. If you called him the first digital Chief of Army Staff in Nigeria, you wouldn’t be wrong because the past three years have witnessed quite some technological innovations in the operation of the Nigerian Army.

For me, the introduction of the Situation Room speaks volume of how we can get things right in this country using the example set by the Nigerian Army. As insignificant it might seem in the eyes of some, it is indeed a phenomenal one by the Nigerian Army in ensuring that the elections are devoid of violence and other related vices. This, in my opinion is the height of the display of capacity by the Chief of Army Staff.

I am also impressed with other technological innovations like the deployment of drones in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists in North East Nigeria. On an occasion, the Chief of Army Staff said that applications of drones and new technologies were critical in modern warfare to ensure successful implementation of the counterinsurgency campaign. I could not agree less because it is indeed apt and of dire importance especially in counterinsurgency operations.

According to Andrea Birdsall, a lecturer in International Relations at the University of Edinburgh, the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones in counterterrorism has changed the face of warfare. Similarly, Stanford political scientist Amy Zegart argued in a new research paper that countries that possess deadly, armed drones could change an adversary’s behaviour without even striking them.

The above describes the lot of the Nigerian Army especially in its counter-insurgency war in North East Nigeria, and it somewhat explains why the Nigerian Army was able to make substantial gains in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists. It is, therefore, sufficing to mention that these exploits didn’t happen by chance, but as a result of the dynamic leadership of the Chief of Army Staff, in the person of Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.

It didn’t end there. The Nigerian Army also have a transformation and innovation department. The department works on research and developments not only on necessary equipment but equally more scientific and technological facilities to enable it to carry out our operations.

Now, wait for this. The Nigeria Army has recently introduced digitized uniforms that send signals in times of distress. According to the Chief of Army staff, the uniform is technology-based, it will be tagged wherever you are; it sends a signal when you are in danger, and these issues are significant in ensuring the safety of troops in warfare. This is also another exceptional offering in the Nigerian Army under Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai. I am impressed by his penchant for driving the Nigeria Army with technological innovations in line with global best practices.

I stand to be corrected; the Nigerian Army has never had it so good in recent times. Those in the know of the operations of the Nigerian Army have formed the opinion that with the way things are now, the Nigerian Army under the Chief of Army Staff is well positioned to protect the territorial integrity of the country more than ever.

This much I have stated in many forums that I have been privileged to be in attendance. I have in many articles highlighted the uniqueness of the Chief of Army Staff and how he has been able to position the Nigerian Army for greater efficiency strategically. He has also driven the morale of the troops from ground zero to a desirable height within a record time. This speaks volume of a man with a vision and on a mission.

A vision to make the Nigerian Army professionally and technologically efficient. I can go on non-stop on the exploits of the Chief of Army Staff because of the arrays of introductions in the Nigeria Army. He has indeed displayed a hunger for making the Nigerian Army a professional organization, and one that is driven by passion, technology, and innovation.

The introduction of the Situation Room gives a peep into the man that is saddled with the responsibility of leading the Nigerian Army in her difficult period. And it is on record that he has diligently discharged his duties to the admiration of all and sundry.
Saying that the Nigerian Army of today is efficient would be an understatement. Also, saying that the Nigerian Army under Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai is well positioned for excellence would also be an understatement.
In my opinion, the Nigerian Army under Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai is the dream Nigerian Army, well-equipped, responsive, technologically and digitally compliant in modern warfare. It is consequently hoped that Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai would continue to drive the total transformation of the Nigerian Army. The relevant stakeholders must as a matter of necessity give him all the support he needs in this enormous task of repositioning the Nigerian Army.

According to Larry Bossidy, “Execution is the ability to mesh strategy with reality, align people with goals, and achieve the promised results.”. And this can be said of Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, Nigeria’s first digital Chief of Army Staff. I doff my heart.

Okpabi wrote from Nile University of Nigeria , Abuja