In a recent interview with Arise TV from 15:04, Chief of Defense Staff General Christopher Musa responded to comments made by Senator Adams Oshiomhole regarding the alleged misuse of funds by the military. Oshiomhole had claimed that funds allocated to the military were being diverted by senior officers to build universities and carry out community service projects in their hometowns, rather than focusing on military duties.
However, General Musa defended the military, emphasizing its professionalism. He explained that dealing with insurgencies, like Boko Haram, is part of what is known as “asymmetric warfare,” which is a complex type of conflict requiring more than just direct combat.
General Musa reassured that the military’s use of funds is thoroughly scrutinized, with auditors regularly reviewing their operations. He also addressed the claim about university construction, clarifying that part of the military’s strategy involves “non-kinetic” approaches, such as community outreach and building infrastructure. He said this strategy is crucial in asymmetric warfare as it helps gain the trust of communities and weakens insurgent influence.
In General Musa’s words: “To respond to this, the military is highly professional, I can guarantee that. There is no General we have in the army today that has spent less than 25 years in the service. We have been to Liberia, Sierra Leone and other countries. We have done so much and we are here in our country facing these challenges. Asymmetric warfare is an entirely different operation. On the issue of transparency I can guarantee you we are going through every scrutiny that is there on the land. We have auditors that always come consistently to do that. When you talk of use of funds in building universities that is asymmetric warfare and that is what we call the non-kinetic part of it”.