Why Keep Our “Best Officer” On A Low-value Duty?

By Kelechi Okoronkwo, PhD

The military is in a world of its own. They are trained to obey the last command, especially the subalterns who are perfectly described as the “fire eaters”. They are the sharpest edge of the military machine, trained to be stubborn. Their stubbornness is good for the military idea, and by extension the country.

This young officer is just like a child sent on errand by his father. We have a proverb that a child on an errand of his father can break the door with his bare foot. This is especially when the child is a brave one.

From all indications, the officer in the middle of this story is a brave officer: calm, intelligent and composed. More than 90 percent of all arguments so far say that he acted well by insisting on carrying out his orders in a professional manner.

Further details show that this young officer is a son of a retired General in the Nigerian army. His father was an influential military spokesman. So, he has all the required training both in his home and as well as in his place of work.

The military command would have seen how good this officer is. But I am appalled that he is been used for a low-value duty instead of sending him on a high-value missions. Other officers, sons and daughters of the less known, who may not be as good as he is are out there.

Instead of deploying this intelligent officer to guard a privately owned fenced plot of land in the Abuja city, I think such naval intelligence should be deployed to be fiercely protecting Nigeria’s territorial waters through which foreign militia groups gain access to Nigeria. I see this as keeping our best players on the reserve bench while the not-so-good players are in the field.

If this young man deploys this level of professionalism in the field, for instance on the Lake Chad front where the insurgents find loops into Nigeria, I feel certain that Nigeria will get more value from his capacity; and capabilities will be better utilized.

Again, keeping him to be guarding a privately owned land inside Abuja city is grossly underutilizing him. He may be just one of such numerous intelligent personnel who are being deployed to low-value duties after receiving sufficient training to ward off insurgents on the country’s territorial waters.

We have blamed Wike. So, Wike should go and lick his wounds.

@Kelechi Okoronkwo, PhD