Former Presidential candidate, Major General Ike Nwachukwu (rtd), has asserted that Nigerian soldiers are capable of dealing with any insurgency if the necessary resources are provided.
The former Senator made this assertion during the official unveiling of a book authored by Deacon Chris Iyovwaye, titled “Hidden Treasure”, and stressed that no other country could save Nigeria except Nigerians.
The retired Major General made these assertions following an alleged Christian genocide in the country and a move by the United States of America to come to the nation’s rescue against terrorists.
His words: “I want to tell you that it’s not because the Nigerian soldiers are cowards. No, we slowed how courageous we were in the Second World War, we did it in Liberia, we did it with our country here, we retrieved Nigeria from breaking up in 1966 and 1970, we were in Liberia and Sierra Leone. We were in Kenya, Congo, and Tanzania. We saved these areas.
“We can save our country, give them the resources, give them intelligence, and they will defeat bandits and terrorists in no time.
“I led Nigerian officers and men in difficult times, and I knew that they were not cowards, they can deal with this thing, give them permission, give them resources,s and they will put to terrorism and insurgency. No other country can save us except ourselves”.
In his opening remarks, Deacon Iyovwaye expressed profound gratitude to the dignitaries who graced the occasion.
He spoke warmly of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s encouragement, recalling how the former President personally reviewed the manuscript and wrote the foreword.
He praised Maj. Gen. Nwachukwu for his fatherly presence and leadership, and paid glowing tribute to Professor Jerry Gana, whom he described as a “mentor and father-figure” who has never hesitated to support him.
The author also expressed appreciation to community leaders, cultural representatives, his pastor, his in-laws, and his wife, whom he described as “the queen of my heart”, as well as his children, for their unwavering support.
Speaking on the essence of The Hidden Treasures in the Niger Delta, Iyovwaye described the book as the product of years of research, lived experience, community engagement, and a deep yearning to change the narrative of a region that has given so much yet received so little in return.
“Before oil was discovered in 1956, agriculture was the backbone of our economy,” he noted.
“Hydrocarbon is barely 130 years old globally and is already being phased out. Alternative energy is the future. And the Niger Delta holds treasures—human, natural, agricultural and mineral—that can sustain this nation for the next hundred years.”
