A Professor of African History and Peace & Conflict Consultant has observed that the Nigerian Military is not achieving the expected results in the war against terrorism because it is not employing the right strategies in the counterterrorism measures.
This observation was made today Thursday 15th June, 2017 by Professor Isaac Olawale Albert, a Professor of African History, Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Ibadan in an exclusive interview with CEOAfrica.
Prof Albert who will be delivering the 40th University lecture later today at Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan on the topic: ‘Beyond Nigeria’s Sambisa: Forests, Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Africa’ stated that the paper he will be presenting is to call attention to the increasing use of forests for political and criminal objectives.
The peace and conflict consultant further stated that based on carefully conducted research, his lecture will expose the way and manner militants and terrorists use Nigerian forests to their advantage, adding that the lecture will also explain how these forests are slowing down and blocking military operations.
* Professor Isaac Olawale Albert, a Professor of African History, Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Ibadan speaking at an interview with CEOAfrica
Counterinsurgency Challenges
Evaluating the counterterrorism measures of the Nigerian Military especially in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency, Prof Albert who is also the Director of Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ibadan, stated that the Army is not faring well in its fight against terrorism because it is concentrating more on physical warfare and it is neglecting the importance of communication in subduing conflict.
According to the Professor, “The Nigerian Army is more focused on military operations and engaging terrorists in physical battles than winning the hearts of the people. In order to conquer terrorism, you must develop strategies that will make people stop listening to Boko Haram and that is by communicating with the people. But our Army do not know that the media is a veritable tool to subdue insurgency.”
While explaining the efficacy of strategic communication to counterinsurgency, Prof Albert said “Counterinsurgency involves more of strategic communication than physical battle. Terrorism, just like any other warfare, takes place more in the media space than physical space. How? These terrorists use the media; especially social media, to spread hate messages and circulate videos of killing in order to affect the psyche of people.
“Therefore, the best way to battle this menace head on is also to employ the media to reach out to the people. That is where strategic communication comes in. The military should communicate and establish friendly relations especially with the communities around the war-torn areas because they are the ones who come in contact with the terrorists more and experience the ravages first hand.
“Counterinsurgency measures are more likely to succeed if there is 75 per cent engagement in strategic communication and 25 per cent engagement in physical war fare. But in Nigeria, the reverse is the case as our military expend majority of their energy, time and resources on physical combat. That is why it is taking Nigeria this long to win the fight against terrorism,” the Professor observed.
The Peace and Conflict expert further noted that another factor militating against Nigeria’s victory over terrorism is government’s failure to consult scholars, academics and experts in certain fields whose researches can aid the anti-terrorism war. Citing an example of how the American Government engaged scholars and experts in various fields to come up with countermeasures following the September 11 terrorist attack, Prof Albert observed that professionals and scholars are not usually involved by the government in pressing issues.
He said “Nigeria hasn’t engaged scholars, academics, researchers and professionals in the fight against terrorism, thinking it is the duty of the military. The government thinks, acts and evaluates alone. How can you take over sambisa forests if you are not consulting experts in forestry? How can you restore peace if you are not consulting experts in conflict resolution?” he queried.
Prof Albert also blamed the lag in Nigeria’s counterinsurgency on unprofessionalism of the Nigerian Military. He stated that the military do not have adequate training on how to fight in different terrains and topographies. “The Nigeria military is not professionalized and it cannot achieve professional objectives,” he said “Most soldiers deployed to sambisa forest to tackle Boko Haram there, have never fought in a forest. They do not know the terrain and as such, they are over-powered by the terrorists who are more familiar with the terrain,” the professor observed.
* Professor Isaac Olawale Albert, a Professor of African History, Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Ibadan
Recommendations
Having mentioned the challenges of Nigeria’s counterinsurgency measures, Professor Albert noted that he proffered some solutions to these problems in the recommendations of his paper. He recommended that the military should employ more strategic communication in its counterinsurgency approach.
Although Prof Albert noted that the Army is currently being trained in strategic communication by the United States, he however, criticised the idea of Nigerians soldiers being trained by foreigners on how to communicate with Nigerians. He stated that there are many Nigerian professionals in strategic communication who could have carried out the training more effectively.
The professor also proposed that the military should get more understanding of the battle terrain, adding that the government should consult experts and professionals to train the soldiers on how to fight in forested areas. He enjoined the government to consult Nigerian scholars more.
Professor Albert further recommended that the military should establish more friendly relationship with the people in the North East region of the country, noting that the hostile attitude of the Army pushed some people in those communities to join the terrorists. He said “Some people in the North East region joined the Boko Haram because some of their relatives were killed by the Nigerian Army who claimed they were Boko Haram members. Some soldiers harass people living in these communities and label them as Boko Haram just because they are Muslims or they wear beards.
“Being a Muslim should not be criminalised, wearing beards should not be criminalised, and dressing in a certain way should not be criminalised. The Army must develop a good relationship with these people so that they wouldn’t be inclined to go and join the terrorists,” the professor advised.
Corroborating the assertions of Prof Albert, a Professor of Development Communication in University of Ibadan, Professor Muhammed Yahyah in a brief chat with CEOAfrica stated that the root cause of conflict in every situation is communication breakdown and for the conflict to be resolved, effective communication is required. He explained that with strategic communication and citizen engagement, conflicts can be resolved.
