Few days to the surprise, but welcome visit of President Goodluck Jonathan to troops in the North east, on Thursday, February 26, 2015, to territories liberated from Boko Haram insurgents in Adamawa and Borno states, during six weeks window requested by the service chiefs to crush insurgents, Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Kenneth Minimah was in the mission area to do raking and prepare ground for the President famous visit.
Lieutenant General Minimah visited at a time that there was renewed vigour and heightened momentum in favour of the troops. With a new battle- tested General Officer Commanding, GOC, Major General Adeosun and other equally battle –tested commanders and new weapons and special forces battalion, the troops in the north east was good to go. The morale of the troops was very high as they took the battle to Boko Haram stronghold.
It was in this mood that a new battle –cry emerged to further boost the morale of officers and men in the North east and also to sustain the momentum achieved by the troops. In apparent response to success recorded the Chief of Army Staff, said ‘Never Again’ will Nigerian military be humiliated by Boko Haram.
The battle-cry resonated within and outside the battle ground.
When President Jonathan visited the troops, clearly in high spirit as a result of the visit, ‘responded to the president’s address with chants of ‘Never Again’, assuring him that insurgents and terrorists would never again be allowed to take and hold any Nigerian territory’.
Since then he battle –cry has catch on like a wild fire and has been re-echoed by COAS and other military officers at any given opportunity. In March 2015, when senior military officers of Nigerian gathered for the Chief of Army Staff first quarter conference 2015, COAS Conference 2015, the battle cry reverberated at the opening ceremony.
COAS told the gathering that ‘Never Again’ will Nigerian Army be subjected to humiliation by terrorists or any similar group in Nigeria.
He said: “I want to seize this opportunity to express the Nigerian Army’s profound appreciation to all Nigerians who have stood by us through thick and thin particularly in the last one year. The challenges that we continue to face have again brought to the fore, the strength, perseverance, long suffering and resilience of the Nigerian nation and her people.
Despite some of the reverses we suffered in the course of our operations some of which almost brought the Nigerian Army to its knees, the good people of this country never wavered but consistently solidarized and identified with us.”
“They are understandably frustrated when we fail to perform to expectation but are always quick to show their support and appreciation of our successes. I think this has been the tempo in the last four weeks. Nigerians have come out to identify with the Nigerian military, the Nigerian Army and the security agencies.”
“I salute all Nigerians for identifying with us; it is from them that we continue to draw inspirations and I want to invite them to our battle cry, that never again shall we go through this process again; never again shall the Nigerian Army be humiliated the way we have been humiliated; never again.”
From antiquity to middle ages to pre-modern and up to modern times, battle-cry is known universal form of display behaviour aimed at competitive advantage; and is usually taken up in battle ‘often to invoke patriotic sentiment in order to arouse aggression and spirit de corps on the side of the troop and causing intimidation on the enemy side’.
As have observed by defence and security experts, nothing is really wrong with the Nigerian military, the challenge has been civilian control of the military.
Therefore, sustaining the battle-cry ‘Never Again’ and the renewed spirit to degrade and destroy Boko Haram and similar groups in Nigeria, requires not just new platforms, equipment, well-trained officers and men; but also continuously understanding the changing dynamics of the battle space; acknowledging that how what happens at the battle ground is received by the public is as important is as important as the battle itself; holding the ground after successful degrading of terrorists through wining heart and mind of the people within the mission area; placing premium on welfare of troops and their families; and giving special treatment to the next of kin of troops who pay the supreme price.
As noted, A soldier is like a writer: “like a writer who requires the right creative environment , a soldier requires the right ground and momentum to fight a battle.”
