The Nigerian Army said it will resist any attempt to make it intervene in the current political situation against its constitutionally defined roles.
This assurance comes on the heels of calls by some Nigerians that the Army should save the country by taking over the reins of governance as President Umaru Yar'Adua remains too ill to perform the functions of his office.
The Chief of Army staff, Abdulrahman Dambazau, a Lieutenant General, said yesterday at the commissioning of the Nigerian Army Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Abuja, that such calls are best ignored.
According to Mr. Dambazau, the Army has noted "with dismay some of the unnecessary, unwarranted and inflammatory comments, statements and utterances in some quarters capable of creating a sense of insecurity and dragging us back to the dark days of our nation's history.
"We are equally aware of the attempt by some people to drag the Army, which has remained neutral but absolutely committed to the survival of our nascent democracy, into the political affairs of this country".
The Army chief also spoke on the recent sectarian crisis that engulfed Jos, the Plateau State capital where the Nigerian Police estimated that 326 people have died.
"We also noted that some persons who apparently do not value peace are hell-bent on creating disaffection between the military and the public, particularly with reference to the Jos crisis. Of course, we can safely assume that such persons find it impossible to commit their atrocities whenever we deploy to keep the peace, hence their frustration".
No fresh deployment
Mr. Dambazau's address came just as Chris Olukolade, a brigadier general and the director of the Directorate of Army Public Relations, refuted reports that Saleh Maina, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Armoured Division in Jos has been redeployed over his handling of the crisis.
"No such redeployment to the best of my knowledge at the moment," Mr. Olukolade said.
"General Maina remains the GOC 3 Division." He added that, "The military has made a lot of sacrifices for peace and stability in our dear nation, and will continue to maintain its neutral status, despite efforts to discourage this through campaigns of calumny".
He affirmed the Army's commitment to its constitutional responsibilities, saying the Army "will continue to contribute meaningfully to the entrenchment of democracy in Nigeria." Nigeria has in its 50 years of independence been ruled by the military for 30 years with the last military interregnum ending on May 27, 1999.
The Chief of Army Staff said that the subsisting democratic environment in the country, "gives us a lot of advantage in the pursuance of professionalism" and asked Nigerians to "eschew violence and promote peace and tranquillity in Nigeria".
Restriction of movement
Speaking after the commissioning, Mr. Danbazzau explained that measures have been taken to discourage any temptation. "For somebody to travel, outside (his scenic location) his unit, he needs pass and he must be able to justify it.
"But from time to time we review that. We are aware of the fact that there is tension in the country. We know it's not a secret. Everybody knows that. And we also have intelligence information that some people are trying to infiltrate into our ranks. So we thought part of it is to ensure that everybody stays in his location. It is not outright ban. If somebody has a genuine reason to travel, we treat everything on its merit but generally we want to ensure we control the movement of troops. We want to protect them against people who will try to take advantage of them and to protect the system".
The neutrality of the military was also reiterated by Paul Dike, an Air Marshall and the chief of defence staff who said, "I am compelled to remind everyone of the constitutional role of the armed forces which is primarily anchored on the protection of Nigeria's territorial integrity." He also noted that, "Meddling in political issues does not complement our constitutional role in any way, shape or form. I therefore warn all members of the armed forces to steer clear of politics. Ours is military that is mindful of its past, conscious of its present and hopeful of the future.
"The Nigerian armed forces will therefore not depart from its chosen part of honour. Consequently, I urge all of you to remain focused and committed to the service of our fatherland. We must always remind ourselves that politics is better played by politicians".
Next
