Nigeria: Nigeria, the leading Africa’s peacekeeping-contributing nation (News feature by Abudu Babalola, PANA Correspondent, Lagos)
Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) – Nigeria’s successive participation in both the United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU)-led peacekeeping operations across the world, has effectively placed it as a regional power house in maintaining peace, security and stability on the continent.
Analysts point to the February 2014 re-election of Nigeria as chair of the UN Peacekeeping Operations Panel, as a recognition of the country’s contribution to global peace.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ maiden Annual Report from May 2011 – July 2012, right from the Congo crisis to present troubles, Nigeria has contributed both military and police personnel to more than 40 peacekeeping operations across the world.
For instance, the Nigeria Police first participated in Peacekeeping operations in 1960 with the deployment of personnel to Congo. Likewise, the Military was fully involved in that mission.
This was at the many African countries were yet to gain political independence.
Since the Congo involvement, Nigerian peacekeepers were in Namibia, Angola, Western Sahara, Mozambique and Somalia.
Other places in Africa in which Nigerian troops have participated in peacekeeping operations include Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote D’Ivoire, Burundi, Sudan, South Sudan and Guinea Bissau.
Currently, 1,200 Nigerian troops are participating in the Africa-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA), where the Nigerian Air Force deployed two fighter jets – NAF 452 and NAF 455 and helicopter gunships.
The alpha jets were the lead fighter aircraft during Nigeria’s peacekeeping and enforcement duties in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
“In the past 50 years, Nigeria has really done so much in Africa and at the global level. Remember the way we handled the regional crisis in Liberia, Sierra Leone and the way we handled the much recent crisis in Cote d’Ivoire,” a senior research fellow with the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos, Dr. Efem Ubi, told PANA in an exclusive interview.
Nigeria has committed more men and materials towards keeping the peace particularly in Africa and elsewhere than any other African country.
According to the Nigeria Police website, the country has deployed over 12,000 personnel to various UN/AU and ECOWAS peace support operations.
As at June 2013, about 5,000 officers and men of the Armed Forces were serving in nine UN Peacekeeping missions within and outside Africa.
Nigerian involvement in peacekeeping operations on the continent is in line with its Foreign Policy Afro-centric posture.
This commitment undergirds its determination to participate actively in conflict resolution in every part of the world through the instrumentality of the UN peacekeeping operations or the that of the AU.
“We are among the first five highest peacekeeping contributing countries in terms of men. We send a lot of our soldiers and our police force, we still have some civil police force in Congo. Nigeria’s roles in the past and at the moment must have been the yardstick used to appoint Nigeria as head of the Peacekeeping Committee of the UN,” the research fellow added.
In the Congo Peacekeeping Operations, the then Nigerian young military officer, J.T.U. Aguyi-Ironsi, who later became Head of State, was its force commander.
Nigeria’s Army Generals like Olatunji Olurin, John Sagaya, Victor Malu and Joshua Dongorayo at several times were the force Commanders of the sub-regional peacekeeping operations – the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG ), spearheaded by Nigeria in 1991 to end the Liberian and Sierra Leonean civil wars.
A Nigerian, Maj.-Gen. Moses Bisong Obi, at one time headed the UN/African mission in Darfur (UNAMID).
While many Nigerians keep wondering why their country’s interest in quelling crisis in other countries is on the increase, President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, explained that the deployment of troops was in the best interest of the country.
Under the constitution, the lawmakers must give their nods before any troops can be deployed to participate in any military mission outside the country.
“Whatever happens in the whole of Africa will definitely be of concern to us, particularly if it will have ripple effects on Nigeria. The situation in Mali is such that if we didn’t get involved, we will not be able to cope with the consequences. And it is on that basis that we should act and act fast by approving the deployment of troops,” Senator Mark told journalists.
However, the involvement of Nigerian troops in peacekeeping operations around the continent is not without its cost to the most populous black African nation.
Many said it is at a huge cost to the country, with no direct benefit, particularly at a period Nigeria is facing enormous economic and security challenges.
Though official figure on the cost of intervention in Liberia is not available, some analysts put the cost at about US$10 billion, excluding the number of men lost in the war.
Many citizens have questioned Nigeria’s penchant for deploying troops to trouble spots, while it cannot keep the peace at home – a reference to the Boko Haram insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives.
Some Nigerians are of the opinion that the country’s many peacekeeping roles have negatively affected the military in terms of responding to internal insurgencies.
According to Dr. Ubi, “I don’t think it is because of our immense contributions in peacekeeping, the facts is that the Nigerian Armed Forces have been reduced, because much recently the Armed Forces are saying that the government should recruit more men.
“Most of them are involved in joint task force operations in the North, Niger Delta operations and we still need more men to send out for peacekeeping operations. I think we need to recruit more men and we need to upgrade our Armed Forces to meet the 21st century challenges.”
The country, however, has won several laurels and awards to show for its contribution to peace.
In October 2012, the Acting Head of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), Mr. Louis M. Aucoin, honoured more than 1,500 Nigerian peacekeepers, including 92 women, with UN medals for their contribution to UNMIL and peace in Liberia.
The most recent medals awarded to Nigerian contingent was in Southern Sudan.
Through its participation in peacekeeping, Nigerian officers have been further trained and exposed to best practices by going through many UN trainings aimed at capacity building.
Veterans who participated in peacekeeping return home as better polished and well informed officers.
Over 12,000 veteran peacekeepers that were trained and deployed have been awarded UN letters of commendation and medals for outstanding performances during their tour of duty.
-0- PANA SB/VAO 28March2014
28 march 2014 11:36:09
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