Enough Is Enough! Nigeria Should Look To Partner With Russia As Putin Looks For New Allies With Arms Deals - By Frank Uche Dibia

It is no longer news that United States of America seems to be uncooperative and unwilling looking at the way it is behaving in terms of helping Nigeria acquire the much needed arms to fight the dreaded Islamic group Boko Haram.

According to reports, if all we have been hearing are correct, then it means that the Obama administration is nonchalant about the plight of the Nigerian government in her quest to source for modern military hard wears it desperately needs to be able to ward off the present state of insecurity as a result of the terroristic activities of the Islamic sect. Boko Haram.

There were series of moves to secure some USA made arms from Israel and South Africa sometime last year; those deals we heard were reportedly scuffled by United State on the grounds that they do not trust the Nigeria military's records on human rights. Right before that, the Nigerian government was said to have approached USA first, but the permission to source for arms directly from US was turned down, still on the same flimsy excuse.

While at the same time USA have continue to kill innocent Yemenis with drones in their pursuit of some hard-line Islamists. In most cases these killings goes with impunity, all in the name of ''war on terror'' and ''threat against the United States'' without any reference to human right.

If I may ask; Where is the fare play? Where is the justices? and where is the conscience? I thought the war on terror should be an all inclusive and all collective global effort. Because an attack on Nigeria by these Islamists is one way or the other an attack on the values United States and the rest of the West believes-in. You cannot be selling arms to the State of Israel which is seen as indirectly sponsoring the slaughter of innocent Palestinians at any slightest provocation and still finds a way to justify reasons not to sell the same arms or even less to Nigeria who is under siege by the recently classified Islamic sect who have killed tens of thousands of innocent people.     

As it stands, I would suggest that the Nigerian government should look towards Moscow considering the new windows of opportunity that has opened as a result of the present faceoff between Moscow and the West, for all the arms it needs to do what it got to do. In the wake of mounting waves of sanctions and trade bans, Russia is now relying on its two industries that very few can match, energy and arms production. Currently, Putin is grasping for allies in South America and is intrepid on maintaining and growing the Asian and Middle Eastern allies Russia has garnered over the years.

In July, Putin agreed to supply Argentina with some all-weather attack jets to help Her muscle with Great Britain over the much disputed Falklands Island and that India is looking to fix a deal with the French in support of Russian jet fighters is a well placed remix to make Nigeria look else where far away from United States to get the arms it needs to fortify Her military even beyond the much needed Boko Haram assault riffles

Besides Putin’s recent promise to supply Egypt with anti-terrorist attack helicopters, after President Obama stated that Egyptian President al-Sisi can no longer be considered a fellow benefactor of democracy and the announcement that Russia could supply Iran with anti aircraft defence missiles should make for a good dance.

He, Mr Putin is reaching out to other underdog nations in the world with a deadly olive branch of his own which I think we should explore now before the window closes. This is nothing but that type of opportunity that comes once in a lifetime. Let us use it to upgrade our military to the best global standard and fortify our personnel with all it takes to be the giant of Africa once again.

By Frank Uche Dibia

Author & Administrator Ouchfrandib Post