What will it take to defeat the terrorist menace of Boko Haram? According to Nigeria's new president, Muhammadu Buhari, American weapons would be a big help. However, the United States has refused to supply arms to Nigeria because of the well-documented human rights abuses committed by some soldiers. The problem is the poor training, lousy pay and widespread indiscipline within the army. All the sophisticated weaponry in the world is not going to make a cent's worth of difference if it is given to a disobedient rabble who just happen to be wearing a uniform. Indeed, given the generally poor performance of these troops, it is very likely that, as in Iraq, they might abandon their positions, leaving behind large quantities of equipment for the terrorists to use. However, it is completely wrong to blame the ordinary soldier. The responsibility for the generally wretched state of the Nigerian armed forces rests entirely with past administrations and the military commanders whose job it was to ensure that the army was entirely fit for purpose. President Buhari's predecessor Goodluck Jonathan must carry a good deal of blame for using political patronage to appoint top commanders, rather than choosing top commanders on the basis of their experience and qualifications. As the security situation deteriorated rapidly, with Boko Haram killers heaping one humiliation after another on the army, Jonathan fired most of his top commanders. It was a desperate move that fooled no one. The shambles was very largely of the president's own making. The one sensible move his administration made in its last lackluster days was to hire a group of South African mercenaries. This shadowy deal has never been fully explained. But in a few short weeks, these disciplined and well-equipped soldiers dealt Boko Haram a series of major blows. The problem was that when the contract ended and the mercenaries left, the initiative began to slip back to the terrorists. President Buhari is a former soldier who underwent training in Britain and understands what needs to be done. One of his first moves was to relocate the army headquarters to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno province, which is at the heart of Boko Haram's violence. Not only has this radically shortened the lines of command but it has placed top commanders right there in the front line with their troops. This is a start. Buhari has also moved some of the army's best units into the battle. But there are two parts of combating a terrorist insurgency. The search-and-destroy missions require highly-motivated troops. But the greater part of the work for the security forces involves guarding buildings and manning road blocks. This falls to ordinary troops. There have to be serious doubts that the majority of Nigerian soldiers are up to the job. Therefore the answer is a crash training program for both officers and men, supported by the Americans and the British. This should start with the army's best troops who should also be given the advanced equipment that Buhari is requesting. And while discipline should be enforced rigorously and human rights violations punished severely, it is also critically important that troops receive a decent wage. Properly motivated, with a genuine feeling of pride in their uniform, Nigerian soldiers will prove more than a match for the brutal terrorists.
