The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has applauded the rating of the Nigerian military as the fourth in Africa and 35th in the world in the area of strength as evidence that under the President Muhammadu administration, adequate attention, in terms of funding and increase in personnel, has become the norm.
A reputable organisation, the Global Firepower, had released a report that the country’s military strength index currently stands at 0.5745 which is an improvement over the previous year’s rating. Among other indicators, the power index is determined using several factors like manpower, airpower, naval power, resources, financial and other logistics.
In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO noted that the positive rating of the Nigerian military is well-deserved considering that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has since inception invested hugely in equipping the military.
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“We acknowledge that the administration has acquired a total of 38 new aircraft for the Nigerian Air Force, 400 new platforms for the Nigerian Navy; which include 14 houseboats, four helicopters, four capital ships, 12 Manta class/inshore patrol craft and 22 fast attack boats, among others.
“We also note that Nigeria currently has a total military personnel of 215,000 out of which 135,000 are active and 80,000 make up the paramilitary. Since 2015 the Buhari administration has made it a priority to adequately fund and equip the Nigerian military in order to meet the security challenges confronting the country.“
In doing this, the government has acquired modern equipment which include 12 Tucano aircraft which are currently being used to deal deadly blows on Boko Haram terrorists in the North East”.
BMO recalled that under the past PDP administrations, the policy of funding the military became a smuggling activity as huge funds were sometimes ferried to foreign countries for the purpose of acquiring arms, “but such funds usually ended up in individuals’ pockets. This actually exacerbated terrorism activities in the country.
“We therefore consider the latest ranking as well-deserved for the Buhari administration bearing in mind that security was also a major plank of the President’s ’s three-pronged agenda”, the statement added.(NAN)
