The Pledge
I pledge to Nigeria, my country
To be faithful, loyal and honest,
To serve Nigeria with all my strength,
To defend her unity and uphold
Her honour and glory,
So help me God.
The National Anthem (first stanza only)
Arise, O Compatriots,
Nigerian’s call obey
To serve our fatherland
With love and strength and faith
The labour of our heroes past
Shall never be in vain
To serve with heart and might
One nation bound in freedom, peace and unity.
Dear Nigerians including those in the diaspora, our identity as a people and a nation are deeply rooted in expressions reflected in the Pledge and the National Anthem stated above. It is both the Pledge and the National Anthem that bind us together in unity irrespective of religion, tribe, culture and political affiliation. Accordingly, the government, people and the military must faithfully display commitment, loyalty, and love for our country, while parochial interests of ‘powerful’ individuals must be relegated below national interests. This can be achieved by taking responsibility and ownership of our country, not by the use of force but by choice and sound judgment.
In Higher Defence and Security Management courses at defence colleges, senior military officers have been taught that the military as an institution is primarily subordinate to the state. In professionalizing the military, the state must demand from the institution discipline, organisation, order and self-sacrifice. In a democracy, under no condition must the military be used by government to perpetuate itself in power. This is because the military has not been empowered by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to conduct elections. Section 217, sub-section 2 of the Constitution, however, permits the Armed Forces of Nigeria to ‘defend Nigeria from external aggression; maintain its territorial integrity and secure its borders from violation on land, air and sea; suppress insurrection and act in aid of civil authorities to restore order when called upon to do so by the president, but subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly; and performance of such other functions as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly’. This aspect of the 1999 Constitution was cleverly crafted to ensure that there is a civilian control of the military as Nigeria is a developing democracy.
Civil control refers to the obedience which the military owes the state. This is to ensure that the military is aware of its subordinate position to government rather than a mechanism through which any government could be formed. Consequently, the military is not permitted to conduct any election but with the approval of the National Assembly may be vectored to areas where security is compromised by electoral violence in peacetime. The compelling deployment of the military in peacetime, particularly during elections, is due to the spate of electoral violence in our country. It must be stressed that Section 218 of the 1999 Constitution confers on the president operational authority over the military in wartime and peacetime. Also, the president of Nigeria and all military commanders have sworn as part of the oath of office to defend the Constitution, while upholding its honour and glory. So help them God. There is division of responsibilities as reflected in the 1999 Constitution in which the civilian leadership articulates policy objectives, while military commanders are to use their professional judgment to execute policy using efficient and effective means. That is why military strategists strongly affirm that policy drives strategy and not vice-versa.
When there is insecurity in a democracy, the first layer of defence should have been the Nigeria Police Force but the organisation has its challenges. The most important challenge of the police is lack of trust and confidence by members of the public coupled with inadequate logistics and firepower that can deter or overwhelm sophisticated political thugs. But for the challenges of the Police Force, the military would not have been in high demand to respond jointly with the former to combat various crimes in the country. In spite of the military’s involvement in fighting terrorism in the north-eastern part of the country, they have been in high demand to respond swiftly to national emergencies, religious violence, ethnic crises, and natural disasters amongst others. The military is not to be at any polling unit unless there is a breakdown of law and order which may threaten our democracy. If democracy is threatened and the police cannot handle the situation, then the military may be called as usual to intervene in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
In defence of the Constitution and the nation, the military must be on standby despite divergent views expressed by political parties, civil society and the judiciary. Recent achievements of the military and other security agencies in preventing snatching of ballot boxes and irregular movement of election materials in gubernatorial elections in Edo, Anambra, Osun and Ondo are commendable. In these states, there was no reported case of rigging because the people, military and government showed keen interest in the process and outcomes of elections. I do not want to believe there was a problem in Ekiti elections but if there was, the Federal Government must investigate it and take appropriate measures to protect the image of the military as an institution.
The defence of the Constitution and our nation is not negotiable. There is need for government to articulate series of confidence-building measures between Nigerian citizens and the military in order to break down all sentimental walls that serve to distort communications, while the military must ensure that its officers and men are continuously educated to understand and respect civilian values, institutions and prerogatives. The Police Force must be well trained and equipped to carry out its constitutional responsibilities in a democracy. Lastly, civilian leaders must avoid meddling in the internal affairs of the military in areas such as recruitment, promotions, appointments and deployment.
It is on the Constitution that the democracy of any nation stands. Thus, the government, people and military must be prepared to defend our Constitution and the nation. Long live Nigeria.
MA Johnson
