INFORMATION MANAGEMENT BY THE NIGERIAN ARMY CONTINGENT IN THE UNITED NATIONS PEACE SUPPORT OPERATIONS IN LIBERIA

Abstract

Nigeria has been involved in the United Nations Peace Support Operations (UNPSOs) since independence. Several studies have focused on Nigeria’s Peacekeeping Operations with scanty attention paid to the role of Information Management as a determinant of the success or failure of UNPSOs. The role, processes, information acquisition and management and the attendant challenges of Nigerian Army’s (NA) Information Management in the UNPSO in Liberia were examined. The study adopted the Cohen’s Agenda Setting and Etzioni’s Decision-making theories and employed survey and case study research designs. Twenty-eight officers and 172 soldiers were purposively sampled from Nigerian Battalions (NIBATTs) 36 and 37 that served in Liberia while 18 in-depth interviews were conducted with heads of military units in Liberia. Two key informant interviews were conducted with one Commanding Officer and the Military Assistant to the Force Commander. Secondary data were collected from Nigerian Army Signal Messages, Part One and Part Two Orders and the United Nations documents. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data was content analysed. The critical role of information management in decision making was reflected by 192 (96.0%) of respondents who affirmed that adequate information management was crucial to the success of Peace Support Operations (PSOs) in Liberia. Also, 182 (91.0%) of the respondents averred that Information Management processes in NA PSOs in Liberia included communication links, satellites, cables and procedures, formats and filters for information transport and retrieval. These not only reduce uncertainty in the processes of decision making but also formed the foundation for action. Furthermore, 184 (92.0%)of the respondents held that information on the NA in PSOs in Liberia was well managed and protected by both officers and soldiers. Information acquisition in NA PSOs in Liberia was in form of open sources like visual observations by patrol and authorised flights, open communication with belligerent forces and local populations while the act of cryptography or sending coded messages was employed for information sharing. However, both officers and soldiers were confronted by some challenges in information management and control as a result of the lack of intelligence for coordination, lack of sharing information with other operating battalions, differences in culture and language and lack of investment in new information technologies. Though beset with information sharing and coordination challenges, strategic information management by the Nigerian Army contingent enhanced operational efficiency and contributed to the overall success of the United Nations Peace Support Operations in Liberia. However, to achieve a more efficient and reliable management of information resource in PSOs, synergy on information management among the different military battalions in the PSO should be encouraged.