allAfrica.com: Nigeria: No to Foreign Military Commands

With a sound military background on intelligence, Major A. A. Mohammed (rtd), a former chief security officer to President Ibrahim Babangida, highlights the dangers in establishing foreign military commands in the Niger Delta area. As a professional, he would want to stand and be counted among patriotic Nigerians that are against the establishment of these commands. Speaking to our man BABANGIDA KAKAKI, Major Mohammed also examines this and other critical issues of national importance. Excerpts:

As a former military major, recently the Yar'Adua administration has approved the establishment of United States Military Command in Africa and possibly to be stationed in our country. What is your view on this development?

I know the idea, which is in the pipeline, is not going to work. As far as I am concerned, it is a bureaucratic blunder for the Yar'adua administration to have consented to such a command. It is not going to achieve its aims, unless it is another form of imperialism which now the US wants to re-establish here, then we should not be told otherwise. It is another manoeuvre to get what they want out of this country and African nations as well. But if it is to train the Nigerian military not to establish a command, then it is a fine idea. But a command? Definitely, it is going to be a disaster to this country some day. If one goes back in history, US military were defeated in many expeditions around the world at various times – in Vietnam, in Somalia, now in Afghanistan and Iraq. They boxed themselves in there, and could not come out. It is another form of colonial-imperialist agenda to siphon our resources-oil, mineral resources, forest resources and the use of our soldiers to advance their selfish interests. We know they have continuous interest in our crude oil in the Niger Delta region of our country. And believe you me, it will boomerang some day. It will.

Top military brass and US officials are saying that AFRICOM will provide maximum security in the event of internal conflict among African nations, and safeguard it against terrorist's threats. Do you buy the argument?

No, it is not true. In fact, they should look where the so-called terrorists are. The word terrorism itself depends on how you look at it. If you invade a sovereign country for the simple reason that they have what you desperately want, I consider you a terrorist also. The question is, do we need them? Where could their locations be? Could it be in Liberia, in Somalia or in Nigeria here? So, to answer your question, US could not secure any country; because it lacks the capacity and intelligence as well as military will to secure its own country. There were so-called terrorist attacks in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995 by a deadly terrorist, Timothy McVeigh, the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing by Abu Halimma from Egypt, the World Trade Centre and Pentagon attacks on September 11. While recently, Senator Joe Liebermann has said there is going to be an attack on the US soil immediately after 2008 presidential polls, to in his words, test the will of the new President. Whatever this pronouncement means, and where did he get the information of the attack, no one knows. So what kind of security protection are they talking about? There is a popular saying in Hausa language that, Idan mutum ya ce zai ba ka riga, dubi ta wuyansa, meaning if someone says he will give you a shirt, you should look at the one he is putting on. It is not true. US cannot secure African continent, since it cannot secure it own country. So-called terrorist hit the US right inside its own soil. So, they have to protect their country first before they claim to secure another. And in terms of peace-keeping efforts and military intervention, it does not have any impressive feats to convince any right thinking persons that it could. But Nigeria has made a mark and remarkable achievements in peace keeping and conflict resolution in West Africa – in Congo, in Liberia , in Ivory Coast and now in Darfur , Sudan. So the argument of security provision does not hold water, and it will not.

The militant attacks in the Niger Delta region are a source of concern to the government and the nation, and it seems to defy solution with the call of President Yar'adua to international community to come to our aid. Do you agree that Yar'adua administration could not contain the crises?

When we talk of the on-going militancy in the Niger Delta, I see a lot of lapses in political and military hierarchy, because you cannot believe that these militants are growing more powerful daily. They killed about three soldiers and a civilian just some days ago. We have to look back - who formed them in the first instance, who funds them, where do they get their weapons? These are the issues. From their utterances, you can understand that those behind them are the so-called powerful political elites in the region, either former or present political office holders. They have a lot of questions to answer, but Federal Government neglects that. I know we have a very strong military capability to deal with them. The Federal Government must look inwards within the military hierarchy and those behind them. It is unbelievable that this powerful nation will be held to ransom. I do agree the region has been neglected in terms of social amenities and educational opportunities, and they are fighting a just cause, but in a wrong way and manner. Killing innocent civilians, kidnapping foreign expatriates and putting shame and disgrace to our nation, blowing pipelines and stuff like that. I believe it could be solved without even military intervention. But I want to ask one question, where are the children of their sponsors? They are schooling abroad most of them on the nation's expenses, if one cares to know. Recently, the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, offered to help in solving the militancy problem, but one of the elder statesmen in the region, Diette- Spiff, said no, they can solve their problem without foreign involvement.

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