BY EDMOND ODOK – The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd), has advocated mandatory military training for all citizens to foster a deeper appreciation for the brutal sacrifices and physical demands required to protect the nation.
He said: “Every Nigerian should be able to go through military training. It will give you a different perspective about life. You will now understand what it means to stay hungry and what it means to work in days without sleep”, adding, “It will show you what endurance means when you walk kilometres and you are tired but you still need to keep on going. You have not eaten; you have not taken one because of the nature of the thing and because you are doing it to protect”.
In a stirring tribute to fallen troops, General Musa likened the daily sacrifices of frontline soldiers to the ultimate biblical act of love, laying down one’s life for another.
With his remarks underscoring the deep moral weight borne by the military in its ongoing campaign to secure the nation, the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) said: “And that’s exactly what the military men are doing, putting their lives at stake for their country to move around”.
He also appealed to Nigerians to understand that soldiers are members of families who leave their loved ones behind while carrying out their constitutional responsibilities of defending and securing the country..
While reminding Nigerians of the human toll behind the uniform, he urged the public to remember that soldiers are parents, spouses, and children who routinely leave their own families behind to protect the nation, adding: “And so that’s why sometimes it’s very painful when you see people insulting the military and telling them they don’t need it or we don’t want this to end. Nobody’s dying now, and they don’t want it to end.”
“Everybody wants peace, and that is important, so we want them to understand soldiers are fathers, brothers and sisters of people. They’ve families they’ve left behind, staying in the weather, rain, dust, night or day, staying there to ensure the country is secured,” the Minister said.
Noting that the widening cracks in Sahelian diplomacy are reverberating along Nigeria’s frontiers, General Musa pointed to the formal withdrawal of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali as the primary catalyst for a dangerous spike in border incursions.
Also responding to issues around the collapsing regional architecture, the Minister said Nigeria is shifting its strategy toward targeted diplomacy, and quietly reinforcing its southern defenses through a fortified bilateral alliance with with countries like Cameroon and others.
