Buratai: When the Truth Defeats Falsehood

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Chinese warrior and master strategist, Sun Tzu in the Art of War envisaged that it is not at all time that the seasoned general engages the enemy. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai is proven to be our modern execution of Sun Tzu’s strategies in the way he took on the armies of detractors that went for his jugular for no just cause – or at least for whatever deluded reasons they think the axes to grind with him.

The COAS’ enemies might have changed strategies, approaches or even the battle grounds, but what has not changed is their persistent in pursuing a long drawn war with General Buratai, who has by the way survived every single onslaught without losing focus or dropping the ball in ensuring that existential threats to Nigeria’s security are consistently neutralized.

The onslaught first intensified in the aftermath of when he survived the attempt made on him in Zaria, Kaduna state by elements in the Islamic Movement of   Nigeria (IMN), which is the appellation for the Shi’a Islamic sect in the country. A military operation to dislodge the radicalised members of the sect became the subject of widespread condemnation and of course was the trigger for the setting up of a Judicial Commission of Inquiry by the governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai.

There was however no let in the tempo of those calling for General Buratai’s head over what happened in Zaria. The expectation would have been that people desisted from making claims and accusations that would compromise the work of the commission or condition its members to prejudiced. A lot of the umbrage unleashed in the media against the General took on the air of people that were genuinely offended by the events leading up to the setting of the commission but in actual fact the supposed outrage were specifically targeted at defining what the conclusion of the panel’s work should be.

So desperate were the armies lined up against the COAS that strange bedfellows teamed up to charge against his person. From paid activists on the payroll of the Islamic Republic of Iran to persons who were aware the law will catch up with them at some point over stolen arms fund, the motely alliance against the man cared nothing about conflicting interest but were only interested in that singular goal of bringing down their quarry. But for the conscientious intervention of some welling meaning Nigerians, the lies being told against a dedicated public officer almost stuck.

Sensing the futility of their losing war on the General, they beat a retreat, a hasty one, for which Buratai left them a face saving exit as Sun Tzu would have endorsed with the affirmation that “Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.” He did not insist that they provide explanation or proof for their spurious allegations but instead allowed them cocoon into their ignominy.

Perhaps this leniency was emboldened them to regroup as Dubai warriors that created the deafening din about Buratai’s family owning property in Dubai. No campaign of calumny in the history of mudslinging in Nigeria has surpassed the intensity with which attempts were made to drag the General’s family name in the mire.  In spite of all the mud thrown at his person in order to drive a wedge between him and his boss, President Muhammadu Buhari, Buratai continually emerge spotless.

But has the COAS won the second war? Are the Dubai warriors retreating? While the truth has clearly defeated falsehood those recruited for the job and their paymasters would not give up that easily. Corruption and extremism are fighting back even after repeatedly suffering defeat from the strategic response of General Buratai to their attacks. The war thus continues even when he has won every single battle they have launched.

The alliance of evil has regrouped again under the pretext of reacting to the report submitted by the Judicial Commission of Inquiry to el-Rufai. Even though that commission has a closet IMN member as secretary the new battle is on to attempt roping General Buratai into a pre-conceived conclusion that never materialised simply because there was no evidence to allow that. This new task is now being pursued with a vehemence rivalled only by the Dubai efforts even though the facts surfaced by the commission and the necessary evidence has proven to the world he was innocent. For these anti-Buratai forces, latching on the commission’s report using IMN as a front becomes a counter offensive upon the realisation that Buratai halted corruption’s fighting.

His track record and observance of rule of law was what silenced the crowd and the clan of contracted warriors. Now that the IMN, which went silent during the Dubai onslaught, has resurrected with a new campaign of lies, the General’s time tested strategy of subduing his enemies without fighting a fight must again come into play. Besides effectively using this approach to silence them in the past, he needs his focus to remain on the core task of countering the threats of security breach in the country and totally annihilating Boko Haram terrorists. To focus on these personal battles is to succumb to the plans of his enemies, which is to render him ineffective through distractions. Because he did not succumb to these, the country has made progress in degrading Boko Haram even as the military remains prepared to take on any additional national assignments to safeguard us all.

This realisation that Buratai is an impossible nut to crack saw to it that the Dubai Warriors are indeed retreating just as the IMN extremists would soon do. But they have singled out another warrior general for destruction because the COAS has proven inured to their trade. They therefore want to achieve the same ‘Pull Him Down Syndrome’ this time with a former COAS and no nonsense General in the person of the Minister of Interior, General Abdulrhaman Dambazzau (rtd) maybe just to satisfy that depraved sense of existence.

“Know yourself and you will win all battles,” is another of Sun Tzu’s admonitions that Buratai has proven true and those serving in President Buhari’s government must note that this is the only way they can defeat falsehood meant to discredit them and the government they serve.

Angula is a strategy and communication expert and contributed the piece from Lagos.