The Combat and Military Systems of Africa and its Diaspora

The Odum of Ala Igbo

The Odum of Ala Igbo

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The Republic of Biafra
DrBanneker said:
Wouldn't the generals at least want shiny new weapons to beef up their arsenal? How to you steal money needed to keep the damn country together?
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My 2 cents -

Stealing happens in two main ways:
1) Buy weapons, but at a higher price than market value which allows you to skim off the top
2) Loot from funds set aside to purchase weapons which leads to having no new weapons or older, inferior products from who knows where.

The first method allows you to have shiny new weapons from your arsenal. The second doesn't. Both have occurred in Nigeria since the overthrow of Shagari, who died just yesterday, in 1983.

Nigeria's military hasn't really cared about maintaining combat prowess since the early 1980s (read, when Buhari took power). Babangida kept military spending low so that generals wouldn't have powerful enough divisions to take over the country. Obasanjo, Yar'Adua and Jonathan carried on this policy UNTIL Boko Haram started seizing territory in 2014.

I suspect that Nigeria's military and civilian rulers thought that they would never face a threat like Boko Haram. Sure, there might be the odd military incursion from Chad or Cameroon, but those were manageable. Furthermore, even despite low military spending Nigeria was able to carry out overseas missions in Liberia and Sierra Leone inn the 1990s. Besides, a strong military is a threat to whoever is in power.
 
DrBanneker

DrBanneker

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Figthing borg at Wolf 359
The Odum of Ala Igbo said:
My 2 cents -

Stealing happens in two main ways:
1) Buy weapons, but at a higher price than market value which allows you to skim off the top
2) Loot from funds set aside to purchase weapons which leads to having no new weapons or older, inferior products from who knows where.

The first method allows you to have shiny new weapons from your arsenal. The second doesn't. Both have occurred in Nigeria since the overthrow of Shagari, who died just yesterday, in 1983.

Nigeria's military hasn't really cared about maintaining combat prowess since the early 1980s (read, when Buhari took power). Babangida kept military spending low so that generals wouldn't have powerful enough divisions to take over the country. Obasanjo, Yar'Adua and Jonathan carried on this policy UNTIL Boko Haram started seizing territory in 2014.

I suspect that Nigeria's military and civilian rulers thought that they would never face a threat like Boko Haram. Sure, there might be the odd military incursion from Chad or Cameroon, but those were manageable. Furthermore, even despite low military spending Nigeria was able to carry out overseas missions in Liberia and Sierra Leone inn the 1990s. Besides, a strong military is a threat to whoever is in power.
Click to expand...

I thought Buhari was bout it when he started domesticating arms manufacture (i.e. the Polish assault rifle factory deal) and I am surprised they have not responded since BH has been going nuts for half a decade now.
 
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