The Nigerian Army invited Nigerians aged 24 to 32 years to become officers through the Short Service Combatant Commission by an advertisement published in the Guardian Newspaper of Tuesday 17 April 2007 .

In that advertisement however, they expressly excluded women (extrapolating the census results this would be nearly 50% of eligible candidates) from availing of the opportunity to serve their nation in a capacity that may be desirable to them. It is disheartening that in this era, given international and national trends, we still have people (very likely men) in leadership positions, who through narrow mindedness and warped personal orientations will insist on denying fellow Nigerians their rights in full glare of a government that claims to subscribe to equality. This is the government of a nation that has committed to respecting, protecting and fulfilling human rights. More frustrating is that the group that has been thus disenfranchised may not have the wherewithal to pick up on the injustice simply because of the levels of ignorance and the complete erosion of our collective will to uphold what is right. Justice and the mechanisms for accessing it in Nigeria is of course topic for a treatise and it will suffice to say that it is another fundamental right denied to the average Nigerian.

Back to the advert placed by the Nigerian Army. They also asked people shorter than 1.66m not to apply. In a country where the average height is only I.6 metres even for men, and where some tribal groups and families are vertically challenged by dint of genetics, this spurious requirement again excludes groups of Nigerians that may otherwise be eligible, willing and able to serve their nation.

I call it a spurious requirement because as far as I know the army, any army combatant or not, needs multiple and varied skill sets for which height is not a requirement. The extensive use of IT and machines in war only helps to support this argument for brains not brawn. Again, think that it is more difficult, many times dangerously so for tall people to eject from fighter jets than it is for their shorter colleagues and that tanks and submarines are not exactly built for giants or basket ball players. More pertinent is that the capacity for strategic thinking is not the exclusive preserve of the tall.

Another requirement for service with the Nigerian army, according to the advertisement, is a valid certificate of state of origin. Now I was born, bred and have lived in Nigeria, earning my livelihood from both the private and the public sector and I have never been asked nor do I know any one who has been asked for this particular certificate. So forgive me if I do not know what it is!  Are you issued with one at birth or does it wait until you finish UBE or are legally adult? In recent times I started to come across people seeking state scholarships or bursaries looking for traditional rulers to sign documents (validity of which I question in the light of the Nigerian Constitution) that will prove that they are from specific local government areas. Needless to say a hefty fee, not just strong drink and cola nut, is charged for this service. Did I hear you say just another income stream for the boys? It is sad to acknowledge that traditional rulers have become senior area boys, paid to promote questionable ideals and direct civil unrests that further the interest of their government patrons.

Even if you must prove that you come from a locality to benefit from its largesse, the question to ask when it comes to the Nigerian Army is how do origins of your forebears help you to be a better soldier.  My concern is if leaders within the Nigerian army are not capable of analytical thought and of applying it to their recruitment processes, why should we ever entrust them with the security of our nation.

It is all about money. The generals know that millions of Nigerian men (mostly young and desperate, many unquestioning and undiscerning) will jump at the chance to apply for a job that will make them what they hope will be a good living and maybe even a chance to become head of state. This is the reason no one will bother to ask why they need to pay a princely sum of N2,500 to access the Nigerian Army website in order to apply. A vast majority of those who would buy the scratch cards will still need to pay cyber café attendants to help them access application forms on-line, this in addition to the hourly rate charged for accessing the internet. Since the site, in the tradition of official websites will be heavy and slow, it will take forever and many nairas to download and complete. Also, once sent into cyber space the applicant will probably have no means of tracking his application status and will never know what, if anything was wrong so he can correct it in subsequent free applications to more open and transparent organisations. He will probably never even know if his application arrived.

Open and transparent – Yes the advert did not say why the Nigerian Army, a national institution that is funded by taxpayers and other national resources, needs to charge job applicants a fee. Don’t forget that security being of paramount importance to the Nigerian State gets the highest budgetary allocations, enough to buy Peugeot 307 cars for even inconsequential members of the armed forces as long as they go by the rank of officer. Watch this and other spaces. The Nigerian Army will never publish details of number of applications received, how much was realised from the exercise and how the money was spent. It is not the practice in Nigeria after all, to provide information to the public and the Nigerian Army is the one national institution that should not be answerable to the public, populated as it is by potential heads of state.

The advert gave indications of conditions of service. The hapless individuals that will be employed through this process will be placed on fixed term contracts and cannot be guaranteed conversion to regular commission whether or not their contracts are renewed. The conundrum is while contracted to the army, officers recruited through the short service combatant commission may only avail of justice in the military service court. This makes the employer both the judge and the jury in event of an employment or other dispute. The Nigerian Army with regard to its officers and men, makes the laws, then applies and enforces them. Still the young virile Nigerian man needs a job, even one that will put his life at risk. All we can hope is that, should death or disability happen, the Nigerian Army gives timely and commensurate compensation that is independent of contract type. It will of course depend on whether the people that run the army understand and accept that one life is as good as another, regular or short service.

Robot  Villager

# 1 The Nigerian Army invited Nigerians aged 24 to 32 years to become officers through the Short Serv...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 19.04.2007 10:23

akuluouno  Villager

# 2 Mutti, Mutti, Mutti, the good daughter of Yovibi, How many times have I called your name in this village. Please do not do sowange ( a Tiv traditional dance) where angels fear to thread. Please leave the Nigerian Army alone and do not bring norms of civlised behaviour into that institution because you might be flogging a dead horse. Gender friendly, for where. UNSC Resolution 1345, (I am not sure of the correct number), was the focus of women's day celebration in 2007 in civiliszed countries and the theme was how to integrate women into conflict resolution and peacebuilding initiatives. I doubt if any one in the Nigerian Army cared a hoot about that. Recall that it was AVM Nurieni Yussuf who defined the NA as mad dogs following an altercation bw MKO and some airforce officers who flogged the hell out of the former. As for the criteria you mentioned especially those of us who are genetically challenged heightwise, do not mind them. Brains have since replaced brawns in modern warfare. BTW thanks to Ali Baba for letting us know why Obj as a soldier married Stella in spite of her size. That reason holds true till date and might come in handy for even married female soldiers. :D :biggrin: :biggrin: Posted by akuluouno| 19.04.2007 11:15

Naked Eye  Villager

# 3 Brilliant thought provoking piece with strong witty undertone! I enjoyed reading this article even as it left me shaking my head in bewilderment. Clearly the Nigerian Army is finding it difficult to march into the 21st century. It's the classic case of one step forward, two steps backwards. On the one hand it attempts to adopt the more modern short service commission recruitment approach to build a viable and substantive pool of troops without having to massively increase the size of the army with the attendant cost implications. On the other hand, it undermines this very approach by clinging to all the conservative ideas jettisoned by the modern military across the world - some as listed by the author amongst many more rather incredulous requirements! Who ever heard of a state of origin certificate! Have things changed that much back home?! Perhaps, the Army is simply looking for strong, tall and intimidating men for its infantry divisions and not regular personnel for its mechanised ground and airwings which I hope are still functional. Whatever the case, that advert should provoke some deep reflection about the modernisation agenda of the Nigerian military establishment Posted by Naked Eye| 19.04.2007 11:32

Exxcuzme  Villager

# 4 Namesake, that is Nigeria for you o! to do anything in Nigeria one must be privileged . I was trying to obtain a Nigerian passport last yr and was told to provide the said certificate. Whoever came up with this requirement should be jailed. Where are the Nigeria media to ask those in authority- why? I am not sure the type of country this is. Last time I questioned this admission requirement to join the 9JA military, our resident soldier, Tsohon Soja, was defending the indefensible writing that obtaining permission from traditional ruler of your town and Military officers are ways to check an applicant’s background:rolleyes: . This system is why the military officer ranks are filled with children of the Generals and who is who in Nigeria. Those who really want to serve are excluded or find the system corrupt they don’t even bother to apply which is why we have corrupt people joining and you can see them at roadblocks harassing or pointing guns (see saharareporter's pic) at innocent NIGERIANS! Posted by Exxcuzme| 19.04.2007 12:22

Mikky jaga  Villager

# 5 I have always wondered who recruited Abacha and IBB into the Nigeria Army considering their short status. Or maybe it was an attempt to fill their tribe's quota in the Army. If these duo could make it to the highest point of their career in the Army in spite of the challenge, physically, I don't know why height should still be that important in the recruitment into the Army. On the other hand, considering the evil these men did to this Nation, well, maybe those who see height as very important to the recruitment exercise may actually have a point after all. Posted by Mikky jaga| 19.04.2007 12:36

chudi  Villager

# 6 lol,lol,lol...THis writer is very funnyooo. I dont even know how to put mouth for this one make no one call me names. Abeg,we should be careful what height we are talking of here. Of course I agree that there is every reason to consider height before admitting anyone in the army. Do u mean dwarfs should also be considered? Do ylou know the functions of the army that u are suggestion that anyone should be allowed? PLease think twice because one of the problems Nigerians have is hypocrisy. Dont, in your effort to sell yourself as man of the people talk what is not relevant please. But in terms of buying cards for 2500 naira to make the registeration, that's the area i think you should be talking about... Yes again, care should be taken allowing women to join the army...we need them at home to make babies and prepare our food. chikena! Posted by chudi| 19.04.2007 13:12

Son of the Delta  Villager

# 7 There is nothing one would benefit from this blood stained cult called the Nigerian army they promised to protect Nigeria but they do the direct opposite. Posted by Son of the Delta| 19.04.2007 16:14

TEchi  Villager

# 8 This is part of the reason why I say corruption in Nigeria is so entrenched that if one were to put the culprits in purgatory to repent they will crack its boulder and break the stem. A lot of this recruitment campaign specification is to sporulate engagement to perpetuate corruption through fees to the applicants. Think about it. Do you think in the whole Nigerian armed forces there are not many officers less than 1.66 meters? It is a thoughtless warrior that will think to hamstring the enemy warrior and his horse, why not keep the horse to serve you. In our present economy of joblessness I know many Nigerians will borrow to pay the bribes to be in the army. Now think when this same people become an officer in the army in this present scheme of things what he will do to others? He will continue in this unhealthy tradition of bribery and pilfering. QUOTE: In recent times I started to come across people seeking state scholarships or bursaries looking for traditional rulers to sign documents (validity of which I question in the light of the Nigerian Constitution) that will prove that they are from specific local government areas. Needless to say a hefty fee, not just strong drink and cola nut, is charged for this service. Did I hear you say just another income stream for the boys? It is sad to acknowledge that traditional rulers have become senior area boys, paid to promote questionable ideals and direct civil unrests that further the interest of their government patrons. END QUOTE Do you know these are the same traditional rulers that encourage many of our leaders to pilfer from the coffers? They celebrate when thieving sons and daughters come back to them with money from our national coffers. They award them chieftaincy titles for stealing millions which is shared with them. I’m telling you that the Nigeria project is a hard case that will need a total re-education that should start from our chief executives to our village chiefs and elders to inculcate into them the tenets of true democracy. In true democratic countries the army does not charge applicant fees, they rather appeal to the applicants to join the army laying down the benefit they would get in doing so. It seems that in every aspect of Nigerian government corruption is inherently entrenched. How very pitiful! Posted by TEchi| 19.04.2007 17:03

Bode_Boluz  Villager

# 9 The Military of the most advanced nations of the world recognise the role of women in the military in key roles. Although several of these countries, (including us here in the UK and the US), are still reluctant to put female troops in direct front line roles, they no doubt accept that if that is to be the case, they make sure they get the appropriate training. Some of the smartest and analytical people on the planet are women. Any nation would be foolish not to tap into this important resource to get the best person for service. Those in a position to make changes need to step up and get into the 21st century. Start by respecting merit rather than nepotism. Steps need to be taken now!! Not later. Oh and it is not just the Officers that we should be concerned with. The Rank and file need to be representative too. Maybe that will affect the attitude of many. Posted by Bode_Boluz| 25.02.2008 21:14