By Chris Udochukwu
Abuja (Precise Post) – Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has berated the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu over statement credited to him to the effect that 50million Nigerian youths should be recruited into the army and be fed them with cassava.
Fani-Kayode who was furious over the advise by Tinubu, queried the veracity of such call in the face of shortages of weapons, financial resources, accommodation and logistics to carter for the 50 million youths to be recruited into the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The former minister who disclosed this in series of tweets, reminded that it is not the size of the Army that counts or the number of soldiers you have but rather their fighting capability, professionalism, patriotism, discipline, training, logistics, supply lines, support and weaponry.
He however reiterated that what is required to win the war against terror and save lives are: political will, patriotism, love for country and courage that our Government and every single one of us as citizens must cultivate and display as a people.
Similarly, the former federal lawmaker who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District at the 8th senate, Senator Shehu Sani how a country that have not been able to adequately cater for Our 150,000 Soldiers can handle and cater for 50 million armed Soldiers on our payroll?
The Femi Fani-Kayode tweets read:
You have asked for 50 million youths to be recruited into the Nigerian Armed Forces and everyone is clapping for you. Do you have 50 million weapons to give them or do you expect them to fight with sticks and stones? Do you have hundreds of millions of dollars to pay them or will they fight for free? Do you have enough food to feed them or will they fight on empty stomachs? Do you have enough accommodation to house and keep them or will they sleep in the streets and fields? Do you have enough vehicles, cars, buses, tanks, planes, fighter jets, boats, battle ships, aircraft carriers and submarines or will they walk, jog, swim and fly on a broomstick into battle? Do you have enough hospitals to treat them in peace and war time or will you fly them abroad for treatment after they fall sick or have been blown up in battle by rocket propelled launchers and land mines? Let us get real!
It is not the size of the Army that counts or the number of soldiers you have but rather their fighting capability, professionalism, patriotism, discipline, training, logistics, supply lines, support and weaponry,
If you put all the number of military personnel together from the countries of the entire developed world, including Europe, America, Russia, China, Israel, Brazil, Egypt and Turkey, they do not number up to 50 million troops. Let us stop running around in circles.
If we really want to win the war against terror and save lives it is not about the number of soldiers we have but about the political will, patriotism, love for country & courage that our Government & every single one of us as citizens must cultivate and display as a people.
Without any or all of those noble qualities we do not have a hope in hell of winning any war, let alone one that is being waged against the first and fourth most deadly terrorist organisations in the world like Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsmen.
