Nigerian troops exit a NAF Hercules C130-H30 in Bamako after their nighttime arrival in Bamako, Mali
The other day, we spoke about the notion steeped in ignorance which oozes forth when foreign journalists writing about the African armies coming to Mali and pretending that the are all ill-trained and ill-equipped.
Well, here comes further proof that we were not talking for the sake of it. The armies which need help with combat experience, materiel and training know themselves. Perhaps that was why some of their people began yapping ahead of time about “ill equipped, ill trained..bla-bla”
No, we are not all stuck in that hapless small pond and the reason why we are yoked together is that we exist in the same wider neighbourhood. Otherwise, we frankly operate on two different planes.
QUOTE
excerpts
“To speed things up, France could try a hybrid approach putting together a mix
of Nigerian and Chadian troops, the most battle-hardened of the contributing countries, to forge ahead by its side as the rest of the African troops are readied and trained
end of quote
The Malian Front: France Wins First Round of the War, but Now What?
ELSEWHERE, BEEGEAGLE WROTE
QUOTE
excerpts
” Tomorrow, the foreign media ignoramuses will dribble about how well-armed the Malian terrorists are and how ill-equipped the African forces are. Truth is, all the countries in the 20-nation continuum including the rest ECOWAS countries(14) and the neighbouring six ECCAS countries of Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Equato-Guinea and Gabon PUT TOGETHER cannot muster more armour and artillery firepower than Nigeria.
That is why I find it amusing when foreign media hirelings tend to lump everyone together in one hapless pond just because we are all in one
neighbourhood. They never cease to
expose their cluelessness.
In terms of resources, we do play in a different league than all of the rest
ECOWAS nations combined. It is up to
the NA to bring her massive firepower
to bear on these purportedly well-armed Malian militia groups.
END OF QUOTE
NIGERIAN TROOP DEPLOYMENT TO MALI: BYE BYE KADUNA, BIENVENUE BAMAKO
Beegeagle's Blog 
All that is left, is for Nigeria to equip it’s soldiers with assets comparable to other nations with similar finances, similar size and similar challenges.
Nigeria should be coming into this conflict as a conventional peer of france, and not Chad.
A patriot is one that readily praises the accomplishments of his/her nation. But also, one that would not mince words in calling his country on their BULLSH*T.
I agree with you mate.