FROM COLONIAL OCCUPATION TO A NATIONAL FORCE, THE ARMY IN NIGERIA: PAST EXPERIENCES, PRESENT REALITIES, AND FUTURE PROSPECTS

Abstract

The Nigerian Army came into existence as an army of occupation introduced by the British colonialists to protect their economic, strategic, and political interests in Nigeria. However, a major challenge facing the transformation of the Army has been how to transit from its perceived colonial role to that of a national force. The paper discusses the growth of the Nigerian Army from inception up to its present state. It highlighted the following as some of the inadequacies of the Nigerian Army: the perception of regional domination of the force due to the lopsidedness in the demography of the officer’s corps and rank and file; the issue of the Army’s inability to successfully tackle internal insecurity due to some lapses in its composition and operational strategies; and the lack of acquaintance by troops with their operational environment and other related constraints. It recommends amendments to the structure and operations of the Army for better, efficient, and effective operations as well as some critical adjustments for efficient future operations. These include a review of its policy to ensure that its personnel do not serve in their homelands, or alternatively establish a language policy whereby all personnel are encouraged to be proficient in one major Nigerian language apart from their native tongues. It also proposes the establishment of a new corps that would be trained in guerrilla warfare to tackle internal security.