A former Chief of Logistics at Headquarters, Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, has declared that Nigeria is at war, in view of the security challenges occasioned by banditry, kidnapping and other acts of terrorism.
Accordingly, the retired Branch Chief has made a strong case for adequate funding of the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), and other relevant security agencies, insisting that nations fighting asymmetric warfare such as terrorism and insurgency do not rely on conventional budgetary approaches.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with New Telegraph, Adesanya, who also served as the Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI), tasked authorities on the need to prioritise tactical fighter helicopters procurement, as the ongoing counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations intensifies across the theatres.
His words: “When it comes to asymmetric warfare, a key aspect is intelligence, which will not just be limited to human intelligence, but also electronic intelligence. “And all these should be well-coordinated. And the government must demonstrate sufficient political will to deal with this issue.”
Adesanya argued that no amount of spending could be considered too much, when insecurity is viewed against the backdrop of its existential threat. He submitted: “The reality is: we must realise that Nigeria is at war. And when a nation is at war, it should largely dedicate sufficient resources to fight the war. “So, we cannot continue to use the same budgetary approach for the military as if we are not at war.
“It could take a lot, but it is better that we spend this much. Because if we say that we are spending too much on addressing security challenges, then we should ask ourselves what is the cost of insecurity in terms of human lives, economic loss and the rest. So these are some of the things that I can immediately think of. But like I said, it’s more or less an abridged response. “I think this gives me an opportunity to talk more about what I said earlier.
These services, the Military services are essentially responsible for prosecuting the kinetic aspects of the operations against insurgents; counter-insurgency operations. “I think one of those areas that we have got it wrong is spending so much on fighter aircraft, for example, as opposed to maybe tactical fighter helicopters that I believe are more relevant when it comes to counter-insurgency and asymmetric warfare.” The retired two-star General also emphasised the importance of intelligence and drone technology.
“Similarly, I know that efforts have been made to procure drones as unmanned combat aircraft. I think we should be investing more in this. “Then the services should also focus a lot on acquiring intelligence, and this they need to do together with inputs from the other security agencies as well as locals, so that every other operation will be based on intelligence,” he added.
