Gentlemen of the Press, I am pleased to welcome everyone
back from the Christmas and the 2015 New Year festivities. On behalf of the
Chief of Army Staff, officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army, I wish you all
a happy and more fulfilling 2015. Since our last media briefing on 31 December,
2014, some issues relating to the Nigerian Army have occurred and this briefing
is holding specifically to address them.
I will begin with the Major General Muhammadu Buhari certificate controversy.
Gentlemen, let me state clearly that the Nigerian Army holds the retired senior officer in very high esteem and respect and would not be a party to any controversy surrounding his eligibility for any political office. Suffice to state that Major General Buhari rose steadily to the enviable rank of Major General before becoming the Head of State of our dear country in December 1983.
I will begin with the Major General Muhammadu Buhari certificate controversy.
Gentlemen, let me state clearly that the Nigerian Army holds the retired senior officer in very high esteem and respect and would not be a party to any controversy surrounding his eligibility for any political office. Suffice to state that Major General Buhari rose steadily to the enviable rank of Major General before becoming the Head of State of our dear country in December 1983.
The media hype on retired
Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s credentials as well as the numerous requests
made by individuals and corporate bodies to the Nigerian Army on this issue
have necessitated that we provide the facts as contained in the retired senior
officer’s service record.
Records available indicate that Major General M Buhari
applied to join the military as a Form Six student of the Provincial Secondary
School, Katsina on 18 Oct 61. His application was duly endorsed by the
Principal of the school, who also wrote a report on him and recommended him to
be suitable for military commission. It is a practice in the NA that before
candidates are shortlisted for commissioning into the officers’ cadre of the
Service, the Selection Board verifies the original copies of credentials that
are presented.
However, there is no available record to show that this process was followed in the 1960s.
However, there is no available record to show that this process was followed in the 1960s.
Nevertheless, the entry made on the NA Form 199A at
the point of documentation after commission as an officer indicated that the
former Head of State obtained the West African School Certificate (WASC) in
1961 with credits in relevant subjects: English Language, Geography, History,
Health Science, Hausa and a pass in English Literature.
Neither the original copy, Certified
True Copy (CTC) nor statement of result of Major General M Buhari's WASC result
is in his personal file.I hope this explanation will put to rest the raging
controversy surrounding the secondary school credentials of Major General
Mohammed Buhari as it affects the Nigerian Army.
ON CNN REPORTS
I will also seize this opportunity to make some observations
on the recent CNN report titled 'The Battle Against Boko Haram', which was
aired a few days ago. I believe we all hold the CNN in high esteem. However,
CNN’s report on issues concerning kitting, equipment, medical treatment and
corruption in the Nigerian Army is perhaps the best example of a media house’s
show of bias, ignorance, poor journalism, unprofessionalism and handiwork of a
sponsored documentary. Let me start with kitting. It would interest you to know
that there is no Army in the world where personnel do not purchase additional
uniforms and kits to augment those officially issued to them. Accordingly, the
Nigerian Army without fail issues uniforms and kits to its personnel
periodically.
Like other armies, the NA has
over the years, established ordnance shops in all its barracks and cantonments
where uniforms and kits are sold at subsidized prices to its personnel from
allowances already provided in their pay slips. Similarly, you will agree with
me that the NA has a very functional health care delivery system in the
country. There is no barrack or cantonment that does not have at least one
Medical Inspection Room, Medical Reception Station or Medical Hospital
The NA fully subscribes to the National Health Insurance
Scheme (NHIS) and this is functional in all its health facilities.
Specifically, personnel in the North East have the best medical treatment in
that the various health facilities in all the barracks and cantonments are well
equipped. Notwithstanding this, personnel with extensive injuries are evacuated
to the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital Kaduna (44 NARHK), while others are
promptly flown abroad for medical treatment. Therefore, issue of a soldier of
the NA paying for treatment and drugs covered by the NHIS is absurd. The
Nigerian Army’s undoubted operational gains in the North East of recent, have
rubbished the claim of Boko Haram out-gunning the NA.
The CNN would do well to beam
its searchlight on the atrocities of Boko Haram terrorists against innocent and
defenseless Nigerians rather than the NA. Equally, the NA in the past had
requested severally that any evidence of corruption in the NA should be
reported to the appropriate authority. Till date, no such evidence has been
forwarded but rather all we see and hear are sweeping statement of the
purported corruption in the NA. In the case of Nick Robertson, his leading
questions and introduction of the word ‘corruption’ to the unknown person
purported to be a soldier of the NA was most unprofessional and merely
justifies a paid exercise. The CNN in the past have interviewed authorised
personnel of other countries’ armies and not unauthorized hooded criminals to
speak to the media.
The CNN knows very well how to contact the relevant offices to clarify issues concerning the NA but chooses rather to conduct a clandestine interview in a kiosk with a faceless person and a masked individual who obviously know nothing about the NA
Finally, the Nigerian Army
wishes to state that it will remain focused on its mission to rid Nigeria of
terrorism and insurgency. To that end, it has commenced the implementation of
the extensive operational, administrative and logistical decisions reached
during 2014 COAS Annual Conference. In no distant future, law abiding Nigerians
will begin to see very positive results in terms of security, particularly in
the North East and our dear nation generally. Before I depart, I once again
seize this opportunity to reiterate the NA’s unalloyed loyalty and subordination
to civil authority as presided over by His Excellency, President and Commander
– in – Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR.
The Nigerian Army also wishes to emphasize its adherence to
the principles and respect of human rights in the discharge of its
constitutional duties. It further calls on everyone to remain vigilant and
report any suspected breach of the peace to security agencies.
Thank
you and God Bless.
About Olayemi Oniroyin
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