Retired AVM Urges Nigeria To Assess Defence Gaps Before Buying More Weapons
Nigeria risks spending heavily on military hardware without achieving the security gains it expects unless it first identifies critical gaps in its defence capability, retired Air Vice Marshal Sayo Olatunde has warned.
Olatunde, a former Chief of Defence Policy and Plans, made the call during an interview on Arise TV’s This Week, following reports of a US Air Force C-17 aircraft delivering military equipment to the Nigerian Air Force.
He clarified that the delivery was linked largely to equipment and weapons previously procured under Nigeria’s A-29 Super Tucano programme through the US Foreign Military Sales programme, rather than a new assistance package.
According to him, some payments for the Super Tucano support equipment were made as far back as 2018, while the aircraft were delivered in two batches in 2021.
Olatunde stressed that sophisticated aircraft alone could not defeat terrorism without the doctrine, training, personnel, logistics, facilities and other systems needed to deploy them effectively.
He urged the government to undertake a comprehensive capability assessment covering doctrine, organisation, training, materiel, leadership, personnel, facilities and interoperability before committing to further major defence purchases.
The retired officer also called for greater investment in Nigeria’s defence-industrial capacity, saying the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria’s partnerships with local and international firms could help expand domestic production.
He warned, meanwhile, that the military was being overstretched by prolonged involvement in internal security operations, urging reforms to strengthen the police rather than focusing solely on the debate over state police.
Olatunde further called for more precise and timely foreign military assistance, arguing that Nigeria’s security needs should determine the nature and urgency of international support.
He identified corruption, porous borders and ungoverned spaces, socio-political polarisation, an ineffective police force and weaknesses in the defence architecture as major drivers of insecurity.
The former Air Force War College commandant said tackling these structural problems, alongside military reform, stronger policing and indigenous defence production, would be more effective than relying on weapons acquisition alone.
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