The committee set up to facilitate the reform of the Ministry of Defence and the Nigeria Armed Forces has submitted its report to the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magash (rtd).
Receiving the 250-page document from the 21-man Committee headed by retired Air Vice Marshall Usman Mohammed at the National Defence College, Abuja, the Minister said the committee was constituted to facilitate the conduct of fundamental reviews of how Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces could be restructured and managed in the overall interest of the country.
It is the first time the Ministry of Defence is undertaking a comprehensive reforms of the Ministry and the Armed Forces haven’t identified some factors impeding on efficiency of the Ministry and the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Following their inauguration on the 15th of February 2021, the committee went into two months of rigorous deliberations to come up with what would form the basis of reforms for the Ministry of Defence and the Nigerian Army based on their terms of reference.
The Committee Chairman, Air Vice Marshall Mohammed Umaru (rtd), said the conduct of military operations with lapses in some areas have become manifest and the observed systemic inadequacies due to much vulnerability have indicated the need for reforms.
“An urgent action is required for the audits of military, personnel and equipment in all formation of the Armed Forces, application of technology in the conduct of War and the handling of cyber security issues as they affect National Security.
”The enormity of this issues resulted in over 70 recommendations preferred by the committee in his report, knowing that there are usually challenges in actualising reforms, we have grown up strategies for recommendations, with a view to facilitating their implementation,” the Committee Chairman said.
General Magashi said; ”the Ministry is receiving the recommendations which when implemented should enhance the fighting power of the armed forces and boost the morale of troops to put an end to insecurity in the land.”
“The Ministry will carefully look at this recommendation with a view to implementing them for the betterment of all Nigerians. I assure you that we will display the needed more courage to implement the recommendation as contained in the report.
”And I am equally delighted for the proposal that the Nigerian government should conduct, a comprehensive security sector reform to address the deficiency inherent in the Nigerian police and other paramilitary agencies,” the Defence Minister said.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor in his remarks admitted that reforms were necessary based on the nature of the review and hopes the recommendations would bring some impact for the Armed Forces.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola lauded the initiative by the Ministry of Defence and hopes to adopt similar strategy.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
