Tinubu calls for military reforms to quell crises in Lake Chad region 

President Bola Tinubu says countries in the Lake Chad region have to reform their militaries to quell terrorism and security crises.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of senior course 45 of the armed forces command and staff college, Jaji, on Friday, the president said Cameroon, the Niger Republic, Chad and Nigeria must collaborate to defend the democratic existence of their nations.

”We must also be brave enough to reform military doctrine and practice. We do not face a conventional army in the traditional field of battle. No, we contend against mobile, elusive irregular forces that disdain the normal rules of warfare,” he said.

”We must adjust accordingly to subdue the menace. This shall require a change in mindset, strategy, and tactics in equipment and in gear.

”As commander-in-chief, I have given myself the following charge: to deploy the entire machinery of state power to ensure the security of our people and property in a just and democratic society. 

”Under my predecessor, the armed forces worked tirelessly toward necessary reforms to enhance combat effectiveness and operational capability. We must now pick up the pace.

”We live in a moment of flux. Geopolitical change is afoot. Old alliances and assumptions are being tested as new ones are being shaped.

“Trade and global economic activity are fast, yet fragile and easily disrupted by war, weather or pandemic.

”Underlying it all is the often unspoken but urgent competition for precious resources. Water, food, gold, oil and other items have all been placed in the contest.

”In too many instances, the contest turns violent. Areas that should blossom into economic prosperity and hope become factories of pillage and oppression.”

In the twilight of his administration, former President Muhammadu Buhari said the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the emerging crisis in the Sahel have escalated the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the Lake Chad region.

Here are some photos from the event.