How Nigeria’ll fight insecurity — Service chiefs The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has
pledged to involve Nigerians in the fight against insecurity in the country.
This is just as he said the armed forces would drive the
onslaught against insecurity in line with the laws of the land.
General Musa also identified the thematic focus of his
leadership to include people-centric, troops welfare, and inter-agency
collaboration.
The CDS disclosed these when he appeared for screening
before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee on screening of service
chiefs on Monday.
The new service chiefs, it would be recalled, were earlier
screened last week by the Senate following the appointment by President Bola
Tinubu.
“I recognise the significance of leading the thousands of
devoted and distinguished service men and women to provide a secure and
peaceful environment for Nigerian people to freely engage in their legitimate
enterprise, in line with the constitutional mandate of the Armed Forces of
Nigeria.
“In this regard, the AFN under my leadership will be
people-centric by prioritizing and safeguarding our people and their legitimate
way of life as prescribed by the Nigerian constitution,’’ he said.
On the welfare of military personnel, he said, “Service men
and women of the AFN should be reassured of my commitment to their welfare,
provision of relevant operational equipment as well as infrastructural
development within available resources to enable them to succeed in assigned
constitutional roles.
“I shall also promote international military
cooperation/collaboration to further expose and provide capacity building to
AFN personnel in joint and combined operations outside the shores of Nigeria.
“This measure is required to consolidate on AFN welfare
priorities in order to effectively deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by
providing ready, prompt and sustained land, sea and air dominance by the AFN
across traditional as well as asymmetric conflict settings as part of a joint
force,” he said.
On his part, the Chief of Army Staff, Major Gen Taoreed
Lagbaja, promised to make the most of his appointment.
Lagbaja said: “I consider my nomination as a call to higher
responsibilities and I am determined not to betray the trust and confidence
reposed in me.
‘’It is an open secret that our country has faced a
challenging security environment in the past two decades. It has impacted
adversely on our socio-economic and political lives.
“The episodic crises of the past have now become enduring,
thereby making governance and the rule of law more challenging for successive
administrations.
“Today’s painful
reality is that insecurity has distressed our developmental plans and
aspirations for a strong, prosperous, globally competitive and influential nation.
‘’Never in recent times is the requirement for proactive,
adaptive and inclusive leadership more needed than in Nigeria’s security
environment of today.
“These requirements are what I intend to do as COAS if
confirmed. I am mindful that the Nigerian Army, which I am being screened to
lead, is a crucial component of our military instrument of national power. “It
is not only the largest, but the most complex, most geographically spread, most
sought after during crisis and often most misunderstood.
“I believe that for the Nigerian Army to grapple with the
demands of the contemporary security environment, it would consistently
transform to be a step ahead of its time.
“For this reason, I conceptualize my philosophy of command
as to transform the Nigerian Army into a well-trained, equipped and highly
motivated force towards achieving our constitutional responsibilities within a
joint environment.
‘’I intend to partner with the National Assembly and other
stakeholders in achieving this command philosophy.’’
Speaking earlier at the meeting, chairman of the committee,
Babajimi Benson, charged the armed forces to synergize with sister agencies in
the bid to rid the country of insecurity.
“The House of Representatives is delighted with the
successes recorded so far, especially in the last one year. We acknowledge
these robust achievements which is a proof of the level of professionalism
often displayed by our military in the discharge of their duties. Collaboration
with sister agencies crucial’
“We urge you to effectively collaborate with sister security
agencies to ensure that all security threats are completely neutralised, and
Nigerians can live peacefully.
“The world of security is dynamic and ever-changing. New
security threats are emerging across the globe. Today, wars are not only fought
on land, sea and air but also in cyberspace.
“Consequently, the art of warfare must, therefore, be a step
ahead. This is why Nigeria must tap into and harness the potential of having a
Defence Space Force, like in the United States of America.
‘’While acknowledging the immense contributions of the
Defence Space Administration, there is a need for a full-fledged Defence Space
Force to adequately handle potential threats from cyberspace and provide
intelligence support to other services
“We must, therefore, work collectively to deliver more on
the goals of this administration to drastically reduce cases of insecurity
across the country.
“While the House will continue to support this vision
through our legislative activities, we shall also embark on rigorous oversight
exercises, beginning from this screening, to ensure that the Armed Forces of
Nigeria adhere strictly to the provisions of all Appropriation Acts as will be
eventually passed by the National Assembly and accented to by Mr. President,”
he said.
Source:
How Nigeria’ll fight insecurity — Service chiefs - NigerianEye
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August 04, 2018, 01:09:45 AM