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Nigeria Military Capabilities
Compared with its neighbors, Nigeria possessed
overwhelming
military strength. Its sizeable and relatively
well-equipped
armed forces were capable of defending the country against
any
likely external threat and of projecting power in the
region. In
fact, prior to the Persian Gulf war of 1989-90, Nigeria
was the
only country in west-central Africa to mount and sustain
military
operations abroad. Although the army had been cut by more
than
one-half since 1970, its firepower and mobility have
increased
considerably. The other services have grown little, but
their
combat systems increased in number and sophistication. The
navy
expanded its mission from coastal defense to sea-lane
protection
and acquired modest amphibious and antisubmarine warfare
capabilities. Likewise, the NAF developed and improved its
capacity for ground attack, air support, interdiction, air
defense, airlift, and air mobility operations.
Nigeria's military capabilities were subject to several
systemic constraints, however. Economic difficulties and
budgetary limitations slowed the pace of military
modernization,
delayed new equipment procurements, hindered defense
industrial
growth, reduced training, and magnified logistical and
maintenance deficiencies. The diversity of equipment of
foreign
origin precluded standardization and compounded logistics
and
maintenance difficulties. Indeed, in the 1980s it was
estimated
that, at any given time, one-third of Nigeria's major
systems was
operational, another third could be made operational
within a few
weeks, and the remainder was indefinitely unserviceable.
Moreover, the top military echelons had become
politicized,
engrossed in government functions, and preoccupied with
internal
security at the expense of professional military
development.
Inefficiency and corruption exacerbated these problems,
all of
which combined to hurt operational readiness and
effectiveness.
However, the progressive withdrawal of the military from
politics
during the transition to the Third Republic (expected to
begin
with the completion of the return to civilian rule in late
1992),
the restructuring of the armed forces, and the emphasis on
professionalism since the late 1980s were intended to
remedy
these problems.
Data as of June 1991
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