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Like Buratai Like Napoleon Bonaparte

Published

6 years ago

June 1, 2020

By Mike Msuaan

History is replete with accounts of wars right from the divinely sanctioned wars fought by the Israelites and their enemies to conquests carried out by world powers like the Ottoman Turks, the Christian Crusaders, the Romans and lots more. The greed for wealth and power inherent in man has always fuelled wars both for territorial expansion and the exploitation of resources in captured lands and territories. However, victory in any war is a product of the commander’s mastery of the art of war without which a humiliating defeat awaits him and his troops.

Warfare like every human endeavour has evolved progressively in line with the technology at that time. From the discovery of iron to the industrial and the technological era, wars have shifted from the use of arrows and spears and horses to the use of guns and heavy artillery to the use of bomber jets and automatic gun power to the use of robots, drones and bombs of different capacities and reach. Although so much technology has been used in warfare, nothing meaningful can be achieved if the soldiers in the battle front are ill-trained and in the hands of an inefficient commander.

Prominent war veterans like Napoleon Bonaparte who led the French in different outings and won victories accordingly to the infamous Adolf Hitler to the Chinese war veteran Sun Tzu to all the commanders of the holy wars and crusades to the veterans of the First and Second World War and modern wars in recent times, all had in mind the same objective of victory. However, what distinguished them either in the face of victory or defeat is their style of leadership as well as tactical and strategic skills in warfare.

One such professional and gentlemanly commander in the Nigerian army is the current Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, a fine and courageous officer whose training both in Nigeria and elsewhere has made him the best among his peers. Like every good commander who leads from the front, Buratai has shown dexterity only comparable to legends like Napoleon Bonaparte in the fight against insurgents and terrorists elements in Nigeria especially in the North East.

As an illustrious son of the Borno empire, it will not be an exaggeration to say that he takes over from his forbearers who were themselves great warriors albeit their lack of sophistication as is been demonstrated by their son in modern day Nigeria. His gallantry is significant especially as the rogue elements terrorizing the country have chosen his state of origin to display their cowardice and show of shame. Giving them a pound of their flesh is therefore this gentleman’s sole preoccupation and true to his words, the terrorists are scrambling to surrender and give up their evil and barbaric ways.

Nigeria has been taunted as a home of generals who have not seen the battle field except for the simulations they watch in the comforts of their training rooms, but this is not the case with TY Buratai. Deciding to prove average Nigerians that he is different has been a great blessing to Nigeria as a country who, for more than 10 years has been embarrassed and humiliated ill trained terrorist who have evaded successive commanders especially those who commandeered the war from the comforts of their offices in Abuja.

He has a carefully crafted war strategy and way of approaching which has served to change the perception of Nigerian troops in the eyes of their neighbours from people known with humiliating defeats to a force to reckon with. As a onetime commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTFH), he is aware of the challenges of the fight against terror and has done everything to bring that experience to bear on his current job with outstanding successes. Needless to say that, the dramatic change in the dynamics of the fight against terror is made possible thanks to the skilfulness and gallantry of TY Buratai.

Immediately after his appointed, he jetted out to the North East and began his historic assignment to Nigeria. It was in the North East that he unveiled the mission and vision for the Nigerian Army under his watch and also changed the name of Operation Zaman Lafiya to Operation Lafiya Dole as well as the establishment of other overt and covert operations he established to facilitate the war against terror. He could have sat in Abuja, enjoying all the good things his highly exalted office can provide leaving his subordinates to do the fighting since he has put the necessary strategies in place but he has decided to brave it himself. That’s how a good commander should go.

The Nigerian Army under the watch of Buratai has done much more than fighting and killing. This is because insurgency as is done in the North East of Nigeria a delicate activity which is done among civilian populations. Approach it from a soldiers point of view only did not yield the desired results so diplomacy and human feelings were introduced to win trust of the people and cushion the effects of terror on the affected people.

Relocating to the North East has shown that while others are running away, the army chief has taken upon himself the task of making sure the North East is cleared of all renegades whose stock in trade is to cause havoc and deny the region of quality development.

It is worthy of note that the army chief has not usurped the powers of the operational commanders but has undertaken to periodically visit them and encourage them as they administer their combat units to ensure professionalism at all time. This has helped in no small measure in ensuring smooth and coordinated operations and hence the victory.

As a seasoned scholar in military warfare, Buratai has not disappointed his alumni’s from where the history and art of war has been so generously bequeathed on him. As a historian, he has read and understood war and the best way to fight it both as it was in the ancient era and in modern warfare which is multifaceted and filled with propaganda.

In modern warfare, fighting the enemy alone is not enough as there are many online bullies and other virtual entities that profit over the war efforts and can do anything to discredit ones efforts so as to prolong human misery for selfish gains. This is made worse in the era of social media where mischief makers turn themselves into half-baked journalists with the sole intent to misinform and harm all positive efforts in bringing normalcy. This strategy, although deployed from all angles has not deterred the army chief from doing his job with glaring results for all to see.

Buratai has written his name in history as the Napoleon of the Nigerian fight against insurgents as the first courageous army chief to sacrifice his comfort for the victory of his dear country. He has chosen to use his training to improve the professional conduct of Nigeria troops and his must be kind to him.

Msuaan, a public affairs commentator writes from Kaduna.

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Strategic Partnerships, Diaspora Investment and Improved Workforce Critical to Industrialization-DG RMRDC

Published

17 hours ago

November 12, 2026

The Gleamer

By: Stella Azi and Adaora Adibe

The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, has called for a strategic shift from the exportation of raw commodities to domestic processing, manufacturing and value addition, declaring that Nigeria possesses enormous untapped raw material resources capable of driving industrialisation, creating jobs and strengthening the country’s economic competitiveness.

Prof. Ike-Muonso made this submission in a lecture titled Unlocking Nigeria’s Raw Material Value Chain for Industrialization, Manufacturing and Competitiveness, where he presented an extensive assessment of Nigeria’s resource endowments, industrial challenges and emerging investment opportunities across agricultural commodities, solid minerals and waste-based raw materials.

The lecture highlighted a combined US$2.65 trillion global market opportunity across 30 major raw material value chains, comprising 12 agricultural value chains valued at US$932 billion, 11 mineral value chains worth US$1.352 trillion and seven circular-economy value chains estimated at US$366 billion.

According to the RMRDC Boss, Nigeria must move beyond the traditional approach of extracting and exporting raw materials to building competitive domestic industries that transform these resources into intermediate products, industrial inputs and finished goods for local consumption and international markets.

He observed that the country’s manufacturing sector has struggled to sustain its 2014 peak, with its contribution to real Gross Domestic Product declining from 9.64 per cent in 2014 to 8.05 per cent in 2025, representing a 16.5 per cent decline. He also drew attention to the increasing cost of raw material imports, which rose to US$20.5 billion in 2025, approximately six times the 2020 level.

He explained that the growing dependence on imported industrial inputs exposes Nigerian manufacturers to foreign exchange volatility, increases production costs and weakens the competitiveness of locally manufactured products.

Prof. ke-Muonso stressed that the solution lies in developing domestic raw material value chains through deliberate investment in processing facilities, research and development, technology, infrastructure and stronger linkages between producers, processors and manufacturers.

He identified agriculture, solid minerals and industrial waste as three major resource platforms for Nigeria’s industrial transformation, stating the country’s significant production capacity and the enormous opportunities available for downstream processing.

Ike-Muonso noted that Nigeria produces over 63 million metric tonnes of cassava annually, making it the world’s largest producer, while also maintaining strong positions in cocoa, cashew, sesame, palm oil and cotton. However, more than 80 per cent of agricultural output leaves farms without adequate processing, resulting in the loss of significant economic value and industrial opportunities.

In the solid minerals sector, he identified more than 44 commercially viable minerals across over 500 locations, including lithium, gold, barite, bitumen, iron ore and high-grade limestone, describing them as strategic resources capable of supporting steel production, energy storage, electrification and advanced manufacturing.

The DG further drew attention to Nigeria’s industrial and agro-waste resources, noting that the country generates over 32 million tonnes of solid waste annually. He explained that agricultural residues, cassava peels, scrap metals, plastics and electronic waste could serve as important feedstock for bio-fertilisers, industrial chemicals, recycled polymers, energy production and other manufacturing applications.

In the agricultural sector, the DG identified cassava and industrial starch, cotton and natural textiles, natural rubber and elastomers, oil palm and oleochemicals, maize derivatives and cocoa processing as priority areas requiring increased investment.

He explained that processing agricultural commodities into industrial starch, sweeteners, textiles, technical rubber, specialty fats and other intermediate products would enable Nigeria to capture more value from its agricultural resources while reducing dependence on imported industrial inputs.

For the minerals sector, he highlighted crude oil-to-olefins and petrochemicals, lithium and energy storage, iron ore and steel, rare earth elements, bauxite and aluminium, and copper and electrification as strategic investment opportunities.

He particularly emphasised the importance of moving beyond mineral extraction into beneficiation, refining, battery precursors, industrial chemicals, metal fabrication and advanced materials production.

On the circular economy, Prof. Ike-Muonso identified electronic waste recovery, scrap metal recycling, plastic waste processing, agro-waste valorisation and battery recycling as emerging industrial opportunities.

He explained that transforming waste into productive industrial feedstock would not only reduce environmental pollution but also create new manufacturing industries, generate employment and reduce the importation of valuable industrial materials.

He noted that to address the structural challenges confronting raw material-based industrialisation, the DG highlighted the strategic interventions of the RMRDC, particularly the proposed 30% Value Addition Bill and the Nigeria Integrated Information Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products (NISSRAMP).

He described the 30% Value Addition Bill as an important policy instrument designed to encourage domestic processing of raw materials before export, strengthen local manufacturing capacity and guarantee access to essential raw materials for Nigerian industries, and NISSRAMP as a critical data infrastructure that would improve access to verified information on the availability, location and quality of raw materials.

According to him, the combination of appropriate policy instruments and reliable resource data would help de-risk investments, improve transparency and strengthen confidence in Nigeria’s raw material sector.

He emphasised the importance of collaboration among government, academia and industry in developing bankable projects, sharing investment risks and accelerating the establishment of processing and manufacturing facilities.

Professor Ike-Muonso called on Nigerians in the diaspora and other local and international investors to take advantage of the opportunities available in Nigeria’s raw material sector.

He identified industrial processing parks, mineral beneficiation and refining, agro-industrial platforms, circular-material processing, industrial input manufacturing and enabling infrastructure as viable investment platforms.

He noted that diaspora investors could contribute beyond financial capital by bringing technology, international business networks, governance standards, technical expertise and access to global markets.

He maintained that Nigeria’s industrial transformation requires coordinated investment across the entire value chain, from raw material sourcing and aggregation to processing, manufacturing, certification and export development.

Professor Ike-Muonso stressed that the country’s industrial future would depend not merely on the volume of raw materials extracted but on the capacity to transform them into competitive products that meet domestic and international market requirements.

He maintained that developing local value chains would stimulate industrial growth, create employment opportunities, diversify exports, conserve foreign exchange and deepen Nigeria’s technological capabilities.

Through its strategic interventions, the RMRDC is positioning itself as a critical bridge between resource availability, investment opportunities and industrial competitiveness, with the ultimate objective of transforming Nigeria from a predominantly raw material exporting economy into a strong manufacturing and value-adding nation.

Ike-Muonso has demonstrated this since assumption of office as the Director General/ CEO RMRDC in the area of capacity building, improved working conditions, promotion of merit, and maintaining a conducive environment that rewards excellence, innovation and dedication. This is evident in his institution of RMRDC training school, reward for winners of the RMRDC innovation challenge among others.

His commitment has brought recognition both nationally and internationally: Al-Jazirah double honour awards as Public Servant /Government Agency of the year 2024-2025 and the recent election as the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Representative on the Board of the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organisations (WAITRO) is a attestation to his commitment.

Concluding the lecture, the DG charged staff, researchers, manufacturers and investors to see themselves as nation builders in the new era of raw materials-led industrialization.

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