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Nigeria Organization, Mission, and Order of Battle
Nigeria's armed forces, sharply reduced from about
300,000
after the 1967-68 civil war
(see Civil War
, ch. 1) and
undergoing
continuing reductions into the 1990s, included the army,
the navy
(including coast guard), and the air force. Estimates of
its size
in late 1990 ranged from 94,500 to well over 100,000. In
addition
to military personnel, the defense establishment employed
about
25,000 civilians. The military head of state, as commander
in
chief, exercised his authority through the AFRC, and
operationally through the minister of defense and chief of
Defence Staff, and the chiefs of staff of the three armed
services. In September 1990, the post of chief of Defence
Staff
was elevated to full general and the service chiefs were
also
upgraded. The post of chief of General Staff, General
Staff
Headquarters, created after the August 1985 coup, was a
political
rather than a military post. It was abolished in September
1990,
and its incumbent, Vice Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, was
appointed
to the new position of vice president. The National
Defence
Council and the National Security Council were responsible
for
deliberating on strategic national and international
issues
affecting the political stability or security of Nigeria
and the
region. Their specific functions were thought to include
threat
assessment, overall defense planning, coordination of
military
procurement, and joint operations. In 1989 a 265-member
Armed
Forces Consultative Assembly consisting of battalion
commanders
and above, their equivalents in all services, and selected
staff
officers was inaugurated to discuss military matters,
meeting
perhaps quarterly
(see
fig. 15).
![[PDF]](http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/pdf.gif)
Figure 15. National Security and Defense Organization, 1990
The armed forces' missions and roles were to defend the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation and
other
African states against external aggression; and to
contribute to
international peace and security through service in
multilateral
peacekeeping operations of the UN, the OAU, ECOWAS, or
other
prospective pan-African military operations. They also
were
charged with supporting and reinforcing the border
security
efforts of the immigration and customs departments, with
providing internal security in support of the police and
local
law enforcement authorities, and with contributing to
nation
building through inculcation of patriotism and technical
skills.
Data as of June 1991
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