The Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Christopher Musa has demanded total loyalty by Officers and men of the Nigerian military in order to wipe out terrorism banditry and insurgency from the country.
According to him, the only way to defeat those anti-social incidences is total commitment and loyalty by all stakeholders, especially the military.
The CDS stated this on Wednesday during a lecture/book presentation titled, “Nigerian Army Participations in ECOMOG Operations and Lessons Learnt: 1990 to 2003,” as part of activities lined up to mark the 160th anniversary of the Nigerian Army, held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State.
He charged all commanders in the Nigerian Army to always take the welfare of their men very seriously and engage them with words of encouragement as a panacea to the insecurity in the country.
“My months at the theatre had actually told me how important it is for soldiers to be appreciated. Whatever we are doing, we must make sure that those who deserve promotion are given it, because it is painful when someone is giving all he has and the promotion is given to somebody else.
“If a soldier is happy, prepared and ready, he will give you his best. How do we treat the injured? How do we treat the dead? Those alive are watching. If he has to use his money for surgery and the rest, he will not want to give his best because you are not taking care of the injured people. He will not want to make any sacrifices. So, I think we need to address all these issues and work on them. And I’m happy with the Chief of Army Staff, who listens very well and is experienced. He knows the importance of all these things,” Musa said.
In his welcome address, the Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, restated the commitment of the Nigerian Army to flush out the activities of insurgents, terrorists, and bandits across the length and breadth of the country.
Lagbaja said, “Let me remind everyone here that I stand on the shoulders of my predecessors in the Nigerian Army through good and bad times over the last seven decades. I’m glad to inform you that the Nigerian Army remains alive to its constitutional mandate, especially regarding curbing the activities of insurgents, terrorists, bandits, and other criminals and, most importantly, safeguarding Nigerian territorial integrity.”