Learnt a lot yesterday from reading about military operations, coups, civil unrest, procurement of arms in Nigeria and Africa. I also spoke to few of my friends at the frontline. Our contribution to the ECOMOG ops in Liberia & Sierra Leone (west Africa) Troops & field commanders

The formation of Multinational Joint Task force by in 1994, by Sani Abacha to counter bandits in our northern borders.
It's is also obvious that there was a deliberate effort by Nigeria to focus on regime stability during the period.

Some of our past military leaders felt that stockpiling arms for the military was a threat in a region that was notorious for coups. IBB decommissioned a lot of equipment, many officers were killed on account of coup or retired.

DICON -Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria

Our state owned corporation that used to produce ammunition under license was also under funded.
Of course they didn't envisage that a time would come when the dynamics of threat would switch from regime change to rebel forces and terrorism.

The scene has changed now

It's time to have an offensive military, a combat force against external and internal aggressors. Unfortunately for us, we have missed the opportunity to acquire weapons. It is difficult to procure weapons, more difficult when fighting a battle.

The manufacturers will table all sorts of requests and inflate prices. They will ask for anything possible, especially the western countries including setting up military bases on our soil. They will push their numerous agendas in collaboration with their allies.

War is business, a party is always positioned to benefit from it. Companies / countries won't establish or invest in multi billion dollar ammunition plants and hope for peace. Like agric and food, they must sell their products.

The world is not positioned to have peace.

Even when we try to live in peace, some people's livelihood depends on conflicts.

Nigeria must scale up its defence budget and plug loopholes and looting. Let me not lie, it will be difficult to get weapons without a caveat. We should be prepared to spend more.

How do we spend more in the face of poverty, dwindling resources and lack of critical infrastructure? A big question.

Our officers are one of the best trained in the region. Only Egypt can boast of better military personnel, equipment aside.

The Nigerian government will need to earmark 300bn annually as capital expenditure, to procure equipment for the next 10 years and put us in a comfortable state. Weapons and equipment will not drop from the sky.

The world doesn't have an answer to conflicts and terrorism.