Amadi Says Nigerian Army Generals Must Answer

Nigeria just expanded its army, and one policy expert says that alone will fix nothing if the people at the top are never held to account.

Sam Amadi, Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, is calling for Nigerian army generals' accountability to become a real priority, not just a talking point, as the country continues to battle worsening insecurity.

Amadi made the remarks on Friday during an interview on Arise Television's "Prime Time," responding directly to President Bola Tinubu's recent endorsement of an expanded Nigerian Army.

For Amadi, more troops are not the same as a better strategy. He argued that Nigeria's deeper problem sits higher up the chain of command.

"Some of our generals and leaders must be held accountable. When the leadership is corrupt, it affects the entire nation," he said.

The former chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission did not stop at generals. He tied the security crisis directly to a wider culture of corruption within the public sector.

"Corruption in the public sector weakens efficiency and undermines national commitment. This pervasive corruption continues to erode public trust and the country's ability to address critical challenges," Amadi said.

His central argument was simple: numbers on the ground mean little without integrity at the top.

• Troop expansion alone cannot fix a broken security strategy
• Nigerian army generals' accountability has to be part of any real reform
• Corruption inside the system undermines morale and public trust at every level

"Troop expansion alone cannot guarantee improved security," he said.

Amadi also pointed to something less discussed: how much of the military's time goes into tasks far removed from actual combat readiness.

"Again, a military of course deployed for peacekeeping, for all kinds of things on the road, for even managing the roads, because our roads are now impassable. There are criminals everywhere," he said.