Former Chief of Army Staff (CAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), has described Nigeria’s insecurity challenge as “essentially political.”
He warned that it should not be left to the military alone to tackle, stressing the need for political, social, and economic solutions alongside military efforts.
Speaking on Friday, during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Buratai stressed that security cannot be resolved solely through military might but requires political, economic, and social solutions.
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“The military is just one aspect of the overall national activity,” he said.
“Apart from the military, we have the economic, social, and political lines.
“From all indications, there is no government present or past that does not want insecurity to be addressed.
“Resources have been released for such, but unless the social aspect and the underlying causes are resolved, we cannot rely completely on the military.”
Buratai maintained that insecurity in Nigeria originated from political actors, making it a political problem at its core.
“It was started through some political actors, and it was essentially a political issue.
“Now it’s been left to the military, while the political actors stay behind,” he added.
Dismissing suggestions that the armed forces are hindering progress, he insisted: “We cannot continuously see the military as a problem to solving insecurity.
“They are part of the solution. Any soldier standing on the field with a weapon between Nigerians and the adversary is very important. You cannot demoralise him.”
He urged Nigerians to rally behind the troops, warning: “If you despise or demoralise a soldier, you are endangering his life, his family’s life, and the lives of all Nigerians.
“That is why we must give them complete support to succeed.”
