By Dele Olaitan

“I love soldiers” RG declared. “Really? Can you please tell me what you see in them that’s so attractive?” asked Mallam Yusuf. “Yes of course” answered RG. “I love the real men among them, not the cowardly pretenders who wear military camouflage to wait for opportunity to bare their true colors as politricksters”. “Haa!” exclaimed Chief Okeke. “RG, you have come again”. “Who are politricksters?” He asked. “They are cowardly military charlatans who use the profession as subterfuge to achieve their political ambitions through despicably treacherous means. To their comrades in arms and the nation, they are traitors and shall forever remain so.” RG answered. “Are you serious about what you are saying? Chief Okeke asked again. Do you mean that military regimes do not impact positively on the nation?” Who do coups and military rule help? You cannot claim to be faithful and loyal but turn your guns against your comrades and nation” RG retorted. He went further saying “The mere fact that those who shot their ways into power usually abhor and would vehemently oppose and or deter others from taking such path is enough testament that they only love themselves. They cannot accept or condone what they could do to others. Can such people be called men at all not to talk of that weighty and worthy name – soldiers?”

“Now, can you please tell me what makes you love soldiers and what do you love about them?” Chief Okeke repeated Mallam Yusuf’s question.

“It is simply because we’ve had very wrong orientation from the beginning and our world view about soldiers is thus faulty. Now, just allow me throw a little light on who a soldier is and what soldiering entails.” RG replied. “Good, very good. Please do so quickly before today’s meeting starts. I for one always enjoy your impromptu lectures”. Chief Okeke enthused. After this, all other members of the Landlords Association of Oke Koto area in Arigbajo present quickly found seats and circled round RG’s seat. Then he started thus:

WHO IS A SOLDIER?

The soldier is a citizen who has contracted himself into the obligatory selfless service of his nation as a member of its military. He is an embodiment of decency, goodness, pride, service and virtue. He is the best professional there could ever be. A soldier is a combination of citizen, patriot, activist and nationalist as a human killing machine. He is an arbiter, builder, crusher, a defender, destroyer and killer. The soldier is a fabricated enigma as a general multi-purpose human machine. He is seen in different perspectives by different people in different circumstances of his professional operations. The soldier is thus a very deep depth that can only be assessed, understood and truly appreciated by equally deep minds. The soldier is a warrior who must abhor war and only accept wars as necessary evil.

The soldier is basically a superman who can handle virtually anything else in addition to being a soldier. And as a superman that he basically is, a soldier is expected to be better by far if and when he becomes anything else. For example therefore, where ever there is a soldier who is a doctor, he should and ought to be far better than doctors who are not soldiers. If he is a teacher, he should and ought to be far better than those teachers that are non-soldiers. This is because being a soldier makes him to be first among equals. His calling as soldier accords or gives him a preeminence position among his non soldier peers and colleagues in other professions. This is where that Yoruba proverb of differentiation that says “Aparo kan o ga ju’kan lo l’aye, a f’eyi to ba gun ori ebe” aptly comes in. The doctor soldier, teacher soldier, engineer soldier and the rest of them like that have all climbed unto ridges which distinctly make them different from their peers who are not soldiers. Astuteness would favor the soldier. Courage is his backbone while dedication and diligence are his pastimes. The soldier also have perseverance as a dependable fortress while discipline is his shield at all times. Hence the soldier doesn’t compete with others but rather they compete with him.

One basic fact that is irrefutable is that whereas a soldier willing and ready to become any other professional can easily achieve such dream, not so with other professionals who may want to become soldiers. It is far easier, much more expedient and professionally fulfilling to be a soldier first before attempting to become anything else. The soldier is therefore that engineer that has the knowledge, skills and ingenuity coupled with the preparedness, capability and capacity to make engineering both useful and destructive to humans. He is that medical expert who is prepared and primed with the capability and capacity to both rescue a dying compatriot from the fangs of death on the one hand and remorselessly offer death to enemies not willing to die on the other. He is equally that Reverend gentleman or Imam who prays for the peaceful repose of souls of dead comrades at arms yet would not hesitate to swiftly send enemies to the great beyond. The soldier is all these and more even as there are callings and professions.

And in certain cases, the soldier could be a jack of many trades and master of all. It should not be surprising to see many soldiers with astounding levels of dexterity in more callings than one. This is often brought about by high levels of survival instincts coupled with very low levels of tolerance for vulnerability. Hence it is common to see a combat pilot who is also an engineer or medical doctor and so on and so forth. Above all, the soldier is that individual citizen who has willingly mortgaged his existence that his nation and her people could exist. He has forfeited hopes of normal life by becoming a soldier. He is willing and prepared to make sacrifices of limbs, time and soul for his country. The soldier is that man who entered into a contract of perpetual constraints of his own accord for his nation to be free of restraints.

In fact, a soldier is someone who has pledged his whole existence for the service of his nation not for any quantifiable gains but fame, honor and glory. What an existence of inestimable value! And when the Yoruba of old would honor and respect the soldier, they say “Sekere ko see f’opa lu, jagunjagun ko see f’oba mu”. Literally, this means that the soldier is in a world of his own as far as the Yoruba is concerned. Because to them, you cannot threaten or arrest a warrior in the king’s name. Going further, the Yoruba glorified warriors to the extent of deifying the Aare. Hence Yoruba would say “Aare npe o o n d’ifa. Ti ifa ba fo’re ti Aare fo ibi nko?” This means that you are summoned by the Aare (war commander) and you are consulting ifa divination. Supposing ifa is positive but Aare is negative what would you do?

Without the country or nation, there cannot be an army. And by extension, there cannot be a soldier if a nation has no army. Therefore a nation must exist first before there can be an army. And it is through the army that citizens congregate to offer services as soldiers in the defense of their fatherland. The soldier exists for and is virtually owned by his nation as long as he is in service. This is perhaps why General George S Paton of the US Army once said that “The soldier is the Army. No Army is better than its soldiers. The soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country”.

To that extent, the soldier must be immune to distractions and disaffections that could impede satisfactory service delivery. That is the main reason he is under the Doctrine of Compact. Because a soldier feels obligated as a citizen, he is prepared and ready to suffer personal denials as encompassed and brought on by martial laws.

“Now, is there any profession or professionals that can compare to soldiers and soldiering? Is it not essentially practical that much ought and should be given to this enigma from whom much more is always expected?” RG paused to ask the audience that has become engrossed in his tutorial. So, when someone who spent the best part of his existence in the service of his nation in very selfless, glorious and impeccable manner goes into retirement with honor, does he not deserve our appreciation, respect and love?” This is why I love veterans and would implore all righteous citizens to show them love, respect them, honor them and accord them highest regards at all times. They deserve it. It isn’t easy to be a soldier in the first place not to talk of those who have weathered it all to become veterans”. RG concluded.

“Wow, what an eye opening lecture! I’ve never encountered this kind of opportunity whereby a full explanation about the soldier and his calling would be succinctly given.” Mallam Yusuf declared.

“RG, you are too much. From now onwards, I will always give soldiers and military veterans what they deserve as you rightly pointed out.” Chief Okeke submitted.

Alhaji Awoyemi who incidentally is the chairman of the Association asked RG what he thinks the government should do to ensure that soldiers and veterans are accorded deserved rights and privileges befitting their status. To this, RG have this response.

“In the first place, RG began again, the first and most basic right is knowing what one’s rights and responsibilities are. To this end, no effort should be spared to educate and enlighten service personnel (and those desirous of becoming one) on what the service is basically about and what it offers. A précis (or prospectus sort of) about military service should be available and accessible to all and sundry as guide at entry point.  There’s also what is called Terms and Conditions of Service for military personnel. It is of grave importance and quite expedient that ALL personnel be kept abreast of what those terms and conditions are at all times. In this vein, copies of the publication must be made available to all service personnel to peruse at their own time. Also important is interactive sessions on the application and practicability of these T and Cs be held among personnel at regular intervals. Above all, this publication should be regularly reviewed to march the times and its wordings be flexibly applied at all times.

Secondly, the veterans should be largely immunized from the vagaries and challenges of socio economic activities.  In this regard, the much talked about and long awaited Veterans Federation of Nigeria should be allowed to berth and become functional or operational soonest. This body that is expected to replace the much disdained and looked down upon Nigerian Legion, should offer better services in the interest of the veterans. The nation cannot ever fully pay the debt of gratitude owed veterans. But in giving back a little, they deserve certain measures that would practically show that the nation cares. These should be included in the provisions of the proposed Veterans Federation of Nigeria Act. Examples are:

Presidential Prerogative of Benevolence for Veterans – If convicts and criminals could enjoy special privilege of being granted pardon or amnesty as the case may be, how much more deserving are those that have spent the most useful part of their existence in the service of their fatherland? Hence the Commander In Chief should have three particular avenues to reach out to veterans in showing appreciation. The first shall be in making provision for Presidential intervention in very critical personal affairs of selected veterans each year. Second is granting Presidential Largesse of an equal amount of money to all veterans each year. This should be at least five times of what the national minimum wage is per veteran payable at the end of the year (as 13th month grant) or beginning of a new year. Thirdly is hosting of Presidential Dinner night once a year to fete veterans all over the federation. This can be by representation on both parts. This shall reawaken that spirit of comradeship and sense of belonging.

Special Senior Citizen Status – Veterans should be accorded the deserved honor and respect in all public fora and institutions as is done worldwide. Thus, they should begin to enjoy discounts and rebates on buying and purchases particularly from public or government owned establishments and listed corporate bodies, they should be specially recognized and treated while travelling, while seeking medical care, while in banks, utility stations etc.

Productive engagement in retirement – Veterans have several avenues to be further engaged in productive ventures as retirees. In particular, their professional background makes them much more suitable as security consultants, trainers and work force. The VFN can make provision for engagement of veterans in such ventures as trainers in Pre Enlistment Training Camps that it should set up in States of the federation to prepare potential manpower for the needs of the military establishment and like bodies. The VFN can equally establish and run Physical Fitness and Unarmed Combat Training camps nationwide. These two ventures are potential money spinners given the security scenario of the nation presently and the caliber of personnel to man such camps. It is needless saying that while willing veterans would be actively and gainfully engaged through these, the VFN shall generate revenue to conveniently and easily fund its activities.

Presidential Liaison Office – Lastly, there should be a provision for feedback mechanism conjoining the veterans’ body and the Commander In Chief. This is very important because it is the nature of most Nigerian public officials to treat public duties and work with levity and thus suffer those they are responsible for endlessly. This is why veterans had cause to go on peaceful protests lately to demand that their legitimate dues and entitlements be given to them. Must veterans protest before what is due to them is given? A window of amicable resolution should be created to cater for such scenarios since prevention is far better and much less costly than cure. Hence the need for a Presidential Liaison office at the VFN HQ since the buck stops at the C In C’s table”.

On this note, RG concluded his impromptu lecture and the gathered audience who are now better informed individuals on military issues, went back to commence their monthly meeting.

Major Dele Olaitan (rtd) lives in Ilorin