Nigeria’s military is not Africa’s most powerful, who beat our nation in fighting strength?

 – The 2016 Global Firepower Index has been released, listing Nigeria as one of Africa’s most powerful military nations.

 – Our nation has the fourth most powerful military in Africa, with an ‘above average’ strength globally.

 – Egypt has Africa’s most powerful military, with the U.S. remaining the world’s most powerful nation.

As we all know, Nigeria’s military has always exercised a major influence over the country.

Whether governing through military dictatorships or remaining in the background as the defenders of Nigeria’s security, the armed forces of our country are some of its major institutions.

Indeed, even the current President Muhammadu Buhari once ruled over Nigeria after coming to power in a military coup.

It will not surprise you then that the Nigerian military is one of the foremost powers on the African continent, commanding huge numbers of soldiers and equipment.

Nigerian soldiers parading with the latest hi-tech equipment

Just how powerful is our army, air force and navy in today’s world though?

If we look at the 2016 Global Firepower Index, which ranks the military capabilities and strength of every nation in the world, we learn exactly that.

The index takes almost every aspect of military theory and statistics into account, but does not, for example, consider nuclear weapons.

In addition, reliance on natural resources and geographical factors are included, but a nation’s overall total number of weapons is not.

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Overall, Nigeria’s report card comes in as ‘above average’, coming 41 out of 126 nations polled.

On the African continent, the index ranks Nigeria as having the fourth most powerful military, following South Africa, Algeria, with Egypt coming first in Africa and 18 globally.

The Egyptian Armed Forces has an active strength of 474,000 soldiers with 800,000 in reserve and 336 fighter jets.

By comparison, the Nigerian Armed Forces has a rough strength of 130,000, with up to 32,200 in reserve and just 10 fighter jets.

Soldiers of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Africa’s most powerful military

Though small in comparison with other militaries, Nigeria remains a regional superpower in West Africa, with Niger, the second most powerful nation in the region, ranked at 81.

Nigeria’s powerful role in the region is made clear in its ongoing battle against Boko Haram terrorism, leading a coalition of African nations (Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger) in the Multinational Joint Task Force.

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The top five most powerful militaries in the world are comprised of the usual suspects, with the U.S. coming first followed by Russia, China, India, and the U.K., with France, South Korea, Germany, Japan and Turkey following respectively.

The top five weakest nations in the index are all located in Africa, with Somalia coming last, followed closely by Mozambique, Mali, Zambia and Libya.

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