IntercontinentalNewsReservoir: The Buratai Conundrum: A Strategic Disservice To National Interest

By Femi Oyewale

In the arduous task of national stewardship—where every available resource must be intelligently deployed—a profound paradox persists. At a moment demanding consolidated strategic wisdom, one of Nigeria’s most formidable instruments of stability, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai (Rtd), remains conspicuously absent from the formal architecture of governance. This omission is not a benign oversight; it is a serious lapse in strategic judgment—a failure to deploy a tool forged in the crucible of the nation’s most complex security challenges.

General Buratai’s value is demonstrable, not sentimental. His tenure as Chief of Army Staff marked a defining transformation of the Nigerian Army, shaping the structures, doctrines, and operational posture still being relied upon to confront existential threats. He possesses an intimate, lived understanding of Nigeria’s security machinery—its capacities, rhythms, and institutional psychology—that cannot be replicated through briefing notes or intelligence reports alone. Beyond the battlefield, his service as Ambassador to the Republic of Benin further affirmed his strategic depth, successfully navigating the critical intersection of diplomacy and security in addressing cross-border smuggling and insurgent logistics. He has delivered credibly in two of the most demanding theatres of statecraft.

The cost of this neglect is both tangible and corrosive. It leaves unfilled a space where his seasoned counsel could illuminate security blind spots with tested, actionable alternatives. It squanders the deep reservoir of trust and credibility he commands within the northern political and security establishment—a bridge of goodwill essential for national cohesion. More troublingly, it sends a disquieting signal to the institutions he helped build: that exhaustive service to the nation may ultimately culminate in strategic sidelining.

We must interrogate the roots of this oversight. It is difficult to ignore the influence of whispered campaigns by individuals who, driven by vendetta or rivalry, persistently cast this patriot in dark hues before the ears of power. Let it be stated plainly: those who continue to demonize General Buratai do not mean well for this government, nor for Nigeria. They traffic in past grievances at the expense of future stability, prioritizing old scores over national survival.

This is more than a miscalculation; in the present dispensation, it borders on a fatal error. At a time when insecurity festers and diplomacy requires a master’s touch, leaving a seasoned general on the bench defies the most basic logic of governance. It amounts to strategic self-sabotage.

This appeal is therefore one of conscientious patriotism: bring General Buratai in from the cold. Engage him for what he is—an invaluable national asset—whether as a senior adviser, special envoy, or chair of a critical national committee. Such a move would signal leadership that is confident, wise, and ruthlessly pragmatic. To persist in his exclusion is to willfully complicate the already herculean task of steering Nigeria toward peace and prosperity. The nation cannot afford such a luxury.

Femi Oyewale is the Publisher of Sahara Weekly, and President of NASRE.