- As 197 soldiers dispatched to Gambia on peacekeeping
From Sola Ojo, Abuja
Over-ambition of young military officers who do not want to wait for their turn is one of the major causes of Coup’ de tat in Africa, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has said.
UNDP Team Lead, Governance, Peace and Security, Mr. Matthew Alao, stated shortly at the graduation ceremony of the Leadership and National Cohesion Course at Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre, Jaji, Kaduna, on Saturday.
To him, the military cannot be separated from society where it is situated, Over-ambition by young military officers, eroding core societal values, and religious beliefs, and lack of education are the key reasons for more coups in West African countries and Africa at large.
He warned that the leadership deficit is taking a toll on the country, hence the need to address it right from the family unit to the community level.
“Most people don’t go to school. Some do go to school but do not have employable skills. This contributes to what is happening. And because the military cannot be divorced from the society where it is situated, they also fill part of that agitation.
“Then, maybe over ambition by the young officers. They don’t want to wait for their turn. The idea of young people wanting to be there is another cause of the coup.
“Young people need to learn because if they don’t, we will continue to summersault. After all, this country was once ruled by a 27-year-old. At a point they delivered, but they didn’t deliver well.
“So, if the military of those days had the necessary experience and requisite vision when Nigeria was younger, they would have planned our future and laid a solid foundation for others to build”, he opined.
Meanwhile, the Commandant, Peacekeeping Centre, Kaduna Maj. Gen. Ademola Adedoja said that 167 soldiers would be deployed to the Gambia on a peacekeeping mission.
Adedoja, who announced this at the graduation of the troops from Pre-deployment Training at the Nigerian Army Peace Keeping Centre (NAPKC), Jaji in Kaduna, added that the officers have gone through intense training in line with the Standard UN Core Pre-Deployment Training Modules.
According to him, the six weeks of pre-deployment training which commenced on May 4, 2024, was aimed at equipping the earmarked unit with the requisite skills and knowledge to function effectively and efficiently in Gambia.
“The Pre-Deployment Training was to equip the earmarked unit with the requisite skills and knowledge to function effectively and efficiently in their deployment to the Gambia.
“For me, today’s graduation ceremony once more shows the commitment of Nigeria and the Nigerian Armed Forces to global peace and security.
“Nigeria has since1960s contributed troops to different peace support operations to Congo, Yugoslavia and Lebanon amongst others”, he said.