By Augustine Aminu
The Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of ThisDay newspaper, Chief Nduka Obaigbena, has urged the Nigerian military to go after kidnappers and other criminal elements in the country instead of protesters.
Mr Obaigbena made the call at the 2024 third quarter of the Nigerian Army Civil Media Chat held in Makurdi on Thursday.
He also urged the military to stop getting involved in protecting electoral riggers, saying a free and fair elections would form a government that would be accountable devoid of protest.
“Looking at what is happening across other African countries like Bukina Faso, Niger, Mali and others where the military has turned against themselves, we can say that the Nigerian Army has done well.
“Peace is very necessary for development. Our soldiers sacrifice their lives everyday to give us peace. We should not take it for granted. We should work with them. But the military should do more.
“You should stop getting involved in arresting protesters, arrest kidnappers. Good governance will stop protests but kidnappers has to do with the wrath of the law.
“Stop getting involved in protecting electoral riggers. If you do proper election, your government will be accountable,” he said.
The media mogul urged the Nigerian government to ensure that the armed forces are properly funded stressing, “at least, 25 percent of our national budget should be channeled to security and the Armed Forces and that budget will include technologies.
“Before today, we have national satellite companies and other agencies who have been working and if we integrate our national satellite capability with our war in the North East, the North West, we can monitor bandits in Kaduna.
“We spend so much money on national security, we spend so much money on national satellite technologies and across the board, we have to look at national security as a whole.
“We have the entire infrastructure combined with the army and the army has to provide enough weapon. We need to have a vibrant defense industry.
“Why are we still importing bullets, why are we importing arms, AK-47 and the likes. So we have to integrate our whole defense infrastructure with out technology infrastructure to keep us safe and protect Nigerians from the new world order.
“Nobody knows what is going to happen, there is crisis in the Middle East, crisis in Ukraine, the possibility of Trump’s presidency, we should be ready to keep our peace and keep our ourselves going.
“If I say 25 percent of our national budget should go to the armed forces, then 25 percent should also go to education especially in the North so that we can get our people educated.
“Then another 25 for health and poverty. We have to support our vulnerable people in our society. Then we have to reduce taxes and people’s monies in their hands. They will grow their own food, their own transport and they will sort themselves out.
“We should continue to encourage the engagement between the military and the armed forces.”