Military Corruption: South Korea compares own military with Nigeria’s, advises Nigeria to carry its cross

As notable Nigerians advise President Muhammadu Buhari to seek external help, and he too is asking for the US help, its ally South Korea has advised to perish the thought.

South Korea’s ambassador to Nigeria, Kim Young-Chae, said the challenges are a family affair; it doesn’t require international intervention.

“I know everyone is concerned about the insecurity in Nigeria but it is Nigeria’s internal issue. It should be discussed among Nigerians,” he said in Abuja recently.

Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, the opposition PDP, and other public intellectuals have been urging Buhari to eat the humble pie and ask for help.

But according to Young-Chae, external help matters only if another country engages Nigeria—that is only then it would be considered an international issue.

“To solve its current problem, Nigeria needs international cooperation mainly with its neighbouring countries to enhance its internal security. Nigeria must cooperate with Chad, Niger and other neighbouring countries to ensure cooperation.”

He also spoke on the role the military plays in holding a society together.

“In South Korea, we have a very strong defence which is rated number six in the world. The military is very dedicated and there is little or no corruption in the system,” he said.

“The military is the centre that holds the country together. If the military is corrupt, there is a high possibility that the whole country will be corrupt. Discipline and dedication are key in building a stable and efficient military.”

On a friendly note, however, the envoy stated bilateral cooperation on-going in the area of defence and intelligence-sharing.

“To have defence information sharing, both Nigeria and South Korea need to sign some documents. Defence authorities of both countries need to sign the documents which our Defence Attaché is presently working on. We are going to invite Nigeria’s Minister of Defence to South Korea to concretise this cooperation,” he added.

He noted this is the first time South Korea is establishing a defence attaché in a long time in Nigeria.