By Ehi Ekhator, Naija Center News.
American Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle has disclosed the reason behind the difficulty Nigeria government is having with American government in terms of purchase of arms to fight the insurgency in the North East.
He said the government blocked the purchase of arms because of human right violation from the Nigeria military on the people in the North West.
He also stressed that Nigeria should not forget other ways to win the terror as arms, though very important, is not the only motivation the soldiers in the field need.
Entwstle lamented on the response he has received from soldiers in the field who are poorly motivated as some soldiers complained they only have few bullets to fight men with powerful arms.
He admonished Nigerians on the speculation that the American government has refused to assist the military in terms of equipment and intelligence, adding that the two countries had continue to share training and equipment.
He said “Before we share equipment with any country, whether it is a government to government grant or a commercial sale that requires government approval, we look at a couple of things,” the ambassador explained. “Does it make sense in terms of that country’s needs?
“The second thing we look at is the human rights situation in that country. And as we look at equipment transfers, we look at the situation in those countries in the past few years. And as you all know, there have been instances (I’m not saying across the board) of human rights abuses by the Nigerian military in the North-East.
“So the kind of question that we have to ask is let’s say we give certain kinds of equipment to Nigerian military that is then used in a way that affects human situation. If I approve that, I’m responsible for that. We take that responsibility very seriously.”
“Some of the newest vessels in your navy came from the United States. So the idea that the United States does not share equipment with Nigeria across the board is untrue,” he said.
The ambassador promised that the United States would continue to partner and support Nigeria in the war against the Boko Haram insurgency, saying he gave President Goodluck Jonathan that assurance on his arrival to the country a few months ago.
“I had the honour of sitting down and talking to him (President Jonathan). And the first thing I said to him is ‘Mr. President, I want to be very clear, the United States stands with Nigeria on the war on terror’,” he said.
Mr. Entwistle however admonished Nigeria not to think that the war against Boko Haram could be won only by buying hi-tech equipment, saying to achieve result in the campaign, the country must take the welfare of its troops even more seriously.
“I would say as we support the military in the struggle against Boko Haram, obviously equipment is part of the equation but I think it’s more than that,” the ambassador said. “It bothers me when I talk to soldiers in the North-East and they say they are in the frontline with only a few bullets.
“I think what’s more important is the basic needs of soldiers on the field, making sure … they are well trained and they have ammunition for their rifles. If you don’t focus on taking care of welfare of soldiers on the ground, buying hi-tech equipment does not solve anything.”
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Boko Haram: Why America government blocked Nigeria"s arms purchase
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