Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called for the review of the Nigerian military mode of operations and training modules, especially with evolving rules of engagement in asymmetric warfare situations.
Professor Osinbajo, who spoke at the combined Nigeria Defense Academy passing out parade of the cadets of the 64 Regular Course of the Army, Navy and Air Force, the 65 Regular Course of the Navy and Air Force, and the Short Service Course 44 of the Army, in Kaduna, said: “the world has changed a great deal, today we speak of non-State Actors and of asymmetric warfare, and are confronted by enemies whose identities are as nebulous as their motivations.
“This swift evolution in suicide bombings is a perfect illustration of the nature of the threats that nations face today – unpredictable, asymmetric, constantly adapting to changing conditions, driven by a compulsive need to inflict maximum damage with minimal effort.”
Professor Osinbajo, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari, stressed that the military’s changing roles transcends defence of territories as solving society’s other socio-economic issues has been a challenge other militaries have been engaged in.
“just as important as these issues around conflict are, the issues around how the military can in the process of innovating or thinking through use science and technology to add real value to the society is important.
“Generally, the relationship between the military and scientific innovation are intertwined with both known to have historically shaped and influenced each other.”
The Vice President advised the military in Nigeria to collaborate more extensively with the private sector, for research and innovation, adding that all around the country, technology hubs are springing up that are attracting our Nigeria’s brightest talent, and breaking new technological ground.
“I am convinced that the military should make its presence felt in this area.”
He commended the management of the NDA for its efforts in adapting the school’s curriculum and programmes to contemporary realities.
For the military’s relationship with civil authority, Professor Osinbajo commended the Armed Forces for keeping faith with the current democratic dispensation for the past eighteen years, and noted that the subordination of the military to civil authority has been a cherished age-long practice that has promoted military professionalism in all parts of the world.
He commended the governments of Liberia, Togo, Sierra Leone, Niger, Central African Republic, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Burkina Faso and Chad for sustaining the spirit of true African brotherhood and cooperation, and sending students to the institution for training.[myad]

The 82 Division of the Nigerian Army has made it clear that its Field Training Exercise Codenamed EGWU EKE (Python Dance ) II in the Southeast is not targeted at any individuals or group.
“Please note, Exercise EGWU EKE II is not targeted at any individual or group, as law abiding citizens are advised to go about their normal businesses without fear.”
In a statement by the Deputy Director, Public Relations of the 82 Division Nigerian Army, Colonel Sagir Musa said that the exercise, which started September 15 and meant to last till October 14, is meant to sharpen the skills of the troops in the conduct of Internal Security Operations.
The statement said that the exercise is also aimed at combating the security challenges in the South East and is well equipped to deal with the rising cases of insecurity, such as kidnappings, farmers-herdsmen clashes, cultism, armed robbery, communal crisis, violent secessionist agitations, insurgency among others.
The statement went on:
“For emphasis, it is necessary to restate that the exercise and similar ones with different coded names in some parts of the country were deliberately initiated and conducted with an overarching aim of checkmating identified security challenges prevalent in the regions where they were carried out.
Some of the successful military exercises include: Operation Sharan Daji in tackling livestock rustling and armed banditry in the Northwest; Operation Awatse to tackle militants and oil installation vandals in South-West, especially in the creeks between Lagos and Ogun States; Operation Shirin Harbi in addressing restiveness in the North-East, especially Bauchi and Gombe States; Op Shirin Harbi in containing the rein of killers in Southern Kaduna; Op Harbin Kunama in resolving rustling and armed banditry in forest along Sokoto-Zamfara axis and Op Crocodile Smile, popular in the South-South to combat Criminal elements engaged in the-thetruction of oil pipelines and installations.
The first PYTHON DANCE exercise was carried out in the South Eastern Region from 27 November – 27 December 2016. The peculiar security challenges in the region such as kidnapping, abduction, armed robbery, farmers – herdsmen clashes, communal crisis, traffic gridlock and violent secessionist agitation among others as the targets of this Exercise were successfully addressed.
The concept of the current Exercise, like the previous one is purely Command Post, Field Training and Real Time Exercise.
It is aimed to enhance troops’ agility and preparedness across spectrum of contemporary and emerging security challenges peculiar to South Eastern Region. The Exercise is three in one, in that – it was – deliberately designed as – a Command Post Exercise that transmuted into Field Training Exercise and where necessary dovetailed into real time mission or activities such as anti kidnapping drills, Patrols, Raids, Cordon and Search, Check Points, Road Blocks and Show of Force.
One interesting aspect of the Exercise is that it is multi agency in nature and execution. Relevant Para-Military organizations such as elements of the Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, State Security Services and Federal Road Safety Commission synergized and collaborated to ensure successful execution and attainment of outlined objectives.
Also, the non-reliance on only Military Line of Operation to achieve the end states of the exercise was part of the texture of the strategy. For this reason, an elaborately generous Civil – Military Cooperation Line of Operation had been successfully planned and executed during this exercise. In this regard, some relevant Nigerian Army Corps and Services such as the Medical Corps and Engineers Corps carried out medical outreaches, roads and schools repairs across the South Eastern Region.
On the whole, the exercise has numerous objectives. Some of which are; to practice participating units on planning, preparation and conduct of Internal Security Operations, intensify training on Counter Terrorism and Internal Security Operations as well as to deter the activities of kidnappers, cultists, armed robbers and violent secessionist agitators. Others are – synergizing with relevant Para- Military services to address the identified threats and sharpening the skills of troops towards curtailing current and emerging security challenges peculiar to the South Eastern Region.
Please note, Exercise EGWU EKE II is not targeted at any individual or group, as law abiding citizens are advised to go about their normal businesses without fear.”[myad]

South-East Governors Forum has cautioned Igbos in the region to stop insulting the President of the country, Muhammadu Buhari.
This is even as the governors have resolved to investigate what actually transpired between members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Nigerian military in the recent clash against the background of the agitation for Biafra.
Chairman of the Forum, Dave Umahi, told newsmen at a news briefing that the Southeast governors decided to outlawed IPOB as a way of arresting the violence which its activities had resulted to lately.
Dave Umahi said that the leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, was gradually losing control of the situation and his members, prompting the governors to wade in to prevent further bloodshed. He said the proscription had achieved the desired result.
He said that IPOB has lost its original ideal by causing unnecessary tension and killings in the South-East which he said has affected investment drive in the region.
The governor said that based on the evidence before him, the military did not attack IPOB members on Sunday as claimed by Nnamdi Kanu and that it was the IPOB members who threw bottles and stones at the military officers who were passing by.
“When you put a small fire, it can go very far and become difficult to control. The IPOB activities were gradually getting out of the control of Nnamdi Kanu. Soldiers were passing on the way when IPOB members started throwing stones and other objects at them and it sparked off the clash between the group and the military.
“It is a shame that when this thing happened, a man called Charles Ogbu sent out phone numbers of all South-East governors, the Senate President and others and all our people could do was to be calling us to insult us. These are people who never experienced any war in their lives.”
He said the lives of northerners and all non-indigenes in the state and zone must be guaranteed at all times, warning that security agencies have been directed to deal decisively with anyone who tries to cause a breach of the peace.
“Our focus is how to save lives of every Nigerian and we believe in a united Nigeria. Lives of people are involved and we must not play politics with that.
“Anybody that wants to foment trouble must be crushed and I want security agencies to beef up security around all the non-indigenes in the state and to report to me any problem because we must maintain the peace.”
According to Ebonyi state governor, northern governors will soon visit the South-east, a visit which will also be reciprocated by the South-East governors to the North as a means of fostering unity in the country.
He said that majority of the Igbo do not want secession from Nigeria but to be treated fairly and justly in the county.
“That is why we are all talking about restructuring, there is no part of this country that is not feeling marginalised somehow and that is why all the zones are setting up committees on restructuring.”
Umahi said that injustice or marginalisation should not be a reason to talk about secession, maintaining that dialogue should be the best way to resolve and redress all differences.
He said that the federal government has commenced discussion on the issue of marginalisation and that it is not a matter that can be addressed through violence.
Umahi said that the South-East governors’ Forum would conduct an investigation to find out what really transpired between the Nigeria military and IPOB members.
He said that the Operation Python Dance was not aimed at intimidating anyone, giving instance of the recent killing of a priest by some hoodlums in Owerri, the Ozubulu church shooting, kidnapping, armed robbery in the region as reasons for the operation.[myad]

President Muhammadu Buhari has advised Nigerian soldiers to always respect the tenets of democracy wherever they are asked to operate within Nigeria.  President Buhari, who spoke today, Saturday, at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna at the combined passing out parade of set regular set 64 and 65 as well as set 44 of the Short Service course, asked soldiers to always observe their oath to the nation, keep Faith with democracy and help sustain it.
Buhari, who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, charged the cadets to embrace all as they get to their areas of assignment, even as he commended NDA for adapting to recent realities.
” Let me of course also commend the management of the NDA for your efforts so far in adapting your curriculum and programmes to contemporary realities. I have been told of the recent paradigm shift in the Academy’s training calendar, such that Naval and Air Force cadets now spend only four years in the Academy and then move to their respective bases, in place of the old system that saw them spend all five years in the Academy. By allowing them to spend their final year within their respective bases is a clear indication of the commitment to producing better-trained and better-prepared Naval and Air Force graduates.”
The President described NDA as a hub for innovation.
“Let me say that I am pleased to note that the NDA has itself been positioning itself as a hub for innovation. I am already aware of inventions such as an Automated Pop-Up Target System, a Multi-Purpose Combat Mobile Robot, and a Perimeter Surveillance Robot, which the NDA has showcased at various science and technology exhibitions in the recent past. This is laudable and I urge you to sustain the culture. I would also like to urge you to collaborate more extensively with the private sector, for research and innovation. All around the country technology hubs are springing up that are attracting our Nigeria’s brightest talent, and breaking new technological ground. I am convinced that the military should make its presence felt in this area.”
President Buhari advised the military to explore more scientific ways of dealing with current security challenges.
He commended the Nigerian military for disseminating the Boko Haram terrorists group that was hitherto a problem in the North-East zone of the cointry.
“The world has changed a great deal in the time since today’s graduating classes enrolled into the NDA. The threats that confront us a nation and as a planet have evolved and continue to evolve. It feels like yesterday when the earliest high-profile Boko Haram suicide bombings happened in Nigeria – if I recall correctly the bombing of the Police Headquarters in Abuja was the first major incident to hit the national consciousness. It was a surreal moment, something that no one associated with Nigeria. And again very quickly we started to see a trend of female suicide bombers. This swift evolution in suicide bombings is a perfect illustration of the nature of the threats that nations face today. This is therefore the question we ought to be asking ourselves: are our Armed Forces evolving with a similar speed and urgency?”
President Buhari congratulated the cadets and their parents for successfully completing their training.
689 cadets graduated at the event, which was attended by Service Chiefs, Governors and traditional rulers among others.
Highpoint of the event was the presentation of awards by the representative of President Buhari, where Cadet A. B Bature emerged the overall best in both military and academic exercises.[myad]

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has given assurance that every security measure has been put in place to ensure security of lives and property of every resident of the Territory.
The Minister who, gave thhe assurance while briefing news men after an emergency meeting of the FCT Security Committee in his  official residence, said: “the purpose of the meeting was to review the situation in the South East and its implication for the residents of the FCT as a Centre of Unity. “We are properly briefed, and the whole idea is to ensure that FCT remains as peaceful as it has always been.
“We also used the occasion to receive update on the situation of law and order in all the Area Councils and satellite towns. “From all the reports we received FCT is peaceful.
“It is very clear that from what we read from the social media and some other electronic media, there are some people out there who clearly want to create trouble in this country. Obviously government would not allow this to happen and certainly, in the FCT, we would not allow that to happen.
“That is why I am calling on all residents to ignore any negative report they read on the social media platforms that tend towards disunity, disaffection and targeted clearly towards trying to create trouble.
“In the FCT, all the ethnic groups, religions and creeds are fully represented and live harmoniously. The laws of the land are very clear and anyone trying to foment trouble would be dealt with according to law. To this effect all the security agencies have been placed on heightened alert.”
Malam Muhammad Bello appealed to residents, especially those from the South East to live peacefully and carry on with their lawful businesses without any fear.
“The Administration will not shirk it responsibility for the protection of lives and property in the FCT.”
He called on all the traditional rulers and council chairmen ensure that their areas are well secured down to the grassroots.[myad]

“The level of integrity that we expect is not necessarily what we are seeing, especially in respect to financial statements and all of that.”
These were the views of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo when he played host to the leadership and members of the National
Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), who paid him courtesy visit today, Friday, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Professor Osinbajo wondered why, as a financial body, ANAN cannot call out individuals who are allegedly tied to some levels of financial crimes to order.
He wanted to see a situation where the body would sanction members involved in sharp practices as a way of helping to curb corruption in the financial sector.
Osinbajo stressed that a high level of integrity by financial institutions would help improve the lives of citizens.
He insisted that financial institutions have a crucial role to play in helping the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to fight corruption and improve the country’s economy.
He however recognised the important roles the association has played in regulating the country’s financial sector since it was incorporated in 1979.
Earlier, the ANAN delegation, led by its president, Alhaji Shehu Usman, praised the Buhari administration for its leadership in the affairs of the nation, the fight against corruption, insecurity and improving the economy.
The delegation appealed to the Federal Government to offer more appointments into key positions in the civil service for its members.[myad]