Defence Transformation in Nigeria

Abstract

The quest to modernise the Nigerian armed forces has gone beyond mere declaration of policy intent by the Nigerian government. Processes for defence transformation have entailed the establishment of relevant committees to generate blueprints for actualising the initiative. The prospects of defence transformation can be seen in the efforts of the leadership of the armed forces to implement the various recommendations of the transformation committees as well as the incorporation of the requirements of the armed forces in the long-term perspective plan of the government, in addition to the palpable commitment of the country’s National Assembly to appropriate requisite financial resources to the defence sector. Regardless of these prospects, certain structural and institutional problems which could hinder the realisation of the objectives of defence transformation still exist. These include wrong deployment of personnel to the Ministry of Defence (MOD), the dichotomy between MOD and Defence Headquarters (DHQ), lack of transparency in procurement and project implementation, among others. However, the main goal of transforming Nigerian armed forces has regained renewed salience in the face of the challenging security concerns which the recent terrorist onslaught against the Nigerian state portends. Therefore, the issue is not the desirability or otherwise of defence transformation, but whether it is achievable in spite of all the odds against it.