Lt. Gen. Jeremiah Useni, former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has called for change of tactics in the nation’s fight against terrorism and banditry in a bid to save the land from collapse.
Useni, who was the Quarter-Master General of the Nigerian Army, said in Abuja, on Monday, that the military must put the right persons into positions in a bid to crush the forces contending against the nation.
He stated that the military must sustain the high level of discipline that earned it the recorded success in national and international engagements, while also reviewing its tactics to tackle insecurity.
He said, “In our time, there was no room for indiscipline and officers and men caught engaging in any form of indiscipline were promptly punished for dereliction of duty and were not allowed to acquire any form of wealth they could not account for.
“Strict and prompt punishments were used to stem indiscipline among officers and men in our time and I think this should be enforced as part of the efforts to strengthen the military institution to be able to contain with the level of threats to the nation.
“I believe the display of sincerity on the part of the military is imperative in winning the war against insecurity in this country. But, there is need to do more by ensuring that those who loot the cash meant to prosecute the war against insurgency and other challenges should be dealt with and not merely sent away from the armed forces.
“In tackling insecurity, it is important for the government to also seek the opinions of retired military officers with the wealth of experience in military tactics and strategies in dealing with the ravaging security challenges in the country so that the enemies of Nigeria do not succeed.”
Useni expressed confidence that Nigeria had what it takes to deal with insecurity threatening the sole of the country, saying however, that “We need the best candidate as president irrespective of where he comes from. We need someone who is intelligent and (who) knows how to tackle the problems facing this country and be able to reposition Nigeria for greatness.”
