By Musa Bakare
Nations do not defend themselves with rhetoric. They defend themselves with trained men, superior intelligence, modern weapons, and political will.
It is on this basis that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s security agenda deserves recognition.
At a time when terrorists, bandits, and criminal networks are becoming increasingly daring and sophisticated, the Tinubu administration has responded with something Nigeria desperately needed: investment in military power.
In 2024 alone, the administration reportedly committed about ₦520 billion to military armaments, including attack helicopters, precision weapons, armoured vehicles, and protective equipment.
The government has also dedicated substantial resources to munitions while approving an 80 percent increase in salaries and allowances for security personnel.
This is not ordinary expenditure; it is national survival spending.
The reported expansion of the Nigerian Army from eight to twelve divisions, along with the recruitment of thousands of additional personnel, further demonstrates a President intent on matching Nigeria’s security challenges with institutional capacity.
For decades, our soldiers have been expected to confront heavily armed enemies with inadequate equipment, poor welfare, and serious logistical constraints. President Tinubu’s approach is changing that equation.
As far as President Tinubu is concerned, a soldier who is asked to die for Nigeria must know that Nigeria is prepared to invest in his survival.
This is not merely about guns and helicopters. It is about morale, deterrence, sovereignty, and the credibility of the Nigerian state.
It is therefore intellectually dishonest to claim that Nigeria is automatically better off under previous governments simply because some Nigerians are nostalgic about the past.
The Abacha years cannot be transformed into a golden age by political revisionism. Nigeria was internationally isolated, democracy was suppressed, and the regime was accused of grave human rights abuses.
Under the current administration, security forces have intensified operations against terrorists and bandit commanders across the country, eliminating or bringing numerous dangerous actors to justice.
The war is not over, but the Nigerian state is demonstrating a greater willingness and capacity to fight it.
There can be no meaningful economic transformation where citizens cannot sleep peacefully. No investor wants to put money into a country where criminals control territory.
No farmer can produce efficiently while living in fear of abduction. No government can build a prosperous nation without first protecting its people.
This is why Tinubu’s military investments must be understood beyond party politics. Critics may attack the President, and opposition parties may contest his policies. That is democracy. But facts should remain facts.
A government that increases military funding, expands military formations, modernises weaponry, improves soldiers’ welfare, and strengthens operational capacity is not abandoning national security.
Nigeria does not need a government that merely talks tough. Nigeria needs a government capable of making its enemies fear the consequences of attacking the Nigerian state. That is the security challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is tackling.
And that is why, whatever the politics of tomorrow, the effort to build a stronger, better equipped, and more confident Nigerian military deserves national support.
May God strengthen our Armed Forces, protect those who defend the nation, defeat terrorism and criminality, and guide our President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his duty as Commander-in-Chief.
– Musa Asiru Bakare, political analyst, writes from Lokoja, Kogi State.
